MULTAN, May 7: Passing through the local cantonment bazaar these days, one confronts a board in front of a shop inscribed with the words ‘Out of bounds for all ranks’ and two armed officials of military police standing nearby — perhaps to enforce the order.

When contacted, owners of nearby shops were initially reluctant to comment on the situation. They would just say that the matter concerned the army and the shop owner. However, repeated visits to the neighbourhood revealed that two young men riding a motorcycle had violated the one-way on the road on April 13. The traffic police constable on duty, Liaquat Ali, intercepted them near a shop called Shahzad Fabrics, pulled out the ignition-key of the two-wheeler and demanded its documents.

Instead of showing the documents, the man driving the bike slapped the constable, who replied in the same manner and a scuffle ensued. Shopkeepers and the people standing nearby tried to intervene in the matter, but in the meantime more police officials reached the place and started dragging the man who had slapped the constable towards the cantonment police station which was situated only a few Furlongs away.

Meanwhile, one of the motorcyclists made a phone call from a PCO. Within no time a team of military police led by some senior officers arrived at the police station. That was when it dawned on everybody that the motorcyclists were some army officers in their civvies. As the traffic constable and the army men were putting blame of the unsavoury incident upon each other, the authorities decided to get statements from the owners of nearby shops.

One of the shopkeepers interviewed by this correspondent recalled that most of them refused to give the eyewitness account of the incident. However, the Canada-returned owner of Shahzad Fabrics, Aslam Shahzad, recorded a statement that held the army men more responsible for the incident than the traffic police constable. The army officers left the police station along with the MP.

On April 16, one of the two motorcyclists, Lt Ali Raj, came to the cantonment police station and lodged an FIR (133/03) against Mr Shahzad, alleging that the latter had also manhandled him during the scuffle with the traffic police constable despite knowing that he was an army officer. Being a civilian, Mr Shahzad exploited the situation to provoke the mob against the army, it was further alleged.

The police registered the case under Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order against Mr Shahzad, who by that time had flown back to Canada. However, the police arrested his brother, Amjad Shahzad, and four employees. All of them were later awarded bail by a local court.

Besides, the cantonment authorities placed the aforementioned board before the Shahzad Fabrics and deputed two MP men to keep those armymen who might fail to notice the board away from the shop.

Traders of the cantonment area told this reporter that the ‘sanctions’ against Shahzad Fabrics could remain in force for several weeks to few months, and even until the return of the accused, Aslam Shahzad.

This is not an isolated show of ‘military might’ here in Multan. On April 22, a police squad intercepted three young men riding a motorcycle near the Aziz Hotel Chowk for breaking the law under which only one person could ride pillion. The young men got infuriated and exchanged hot words with the police. It led to a scuffle. They happened to be cadets of the Pakistan army and called in a contingent of the army.

A case was lodged with the cantonment police on the report of cadet Rizwan Ahmad against the four police officials under sections 341, 355 and 379/34 of the PPC. The police officials, head-constable Mohammed Riaz and constables Mohammed Jameel, Zulfiqar and Mohammed Arshad, are languishing in the prison in judicial custody these days.

As a result of another recent incident, a tea-stall owner of the cantonment area, Mohammed Ali, is languishing in the prison under Section 337 of the PPC on the report of Maj Naveed. The major got into a a scuffle with Mr Ali over parking his car in front of the latter’s tea-stall.