ISLAMAABAD: The capital police on Saturday registered a case against an unknown number of lawyers on the charge of manhandling a policeman at the judicial complex.

The Ramna police registered the case in response to a complaint lodged by Inspector Shakeel Ahmed of the Diplomatic Protection Department.

The inspector was among the personnel deployed in and around the judicial complex on Friday when former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law retired Capt Mohammad Safdar were to be indicted by an accountability court in a corruption reference.

When a group of lawyers tried to enter the building, the police intercepted them. In response, the lawyers manhandled the officials, said the police.

The inspector in his statement told the police that he along with the police reserve was deployed inside the judicial complex. At around 9am, the lawyers reached the main gate of the complex and started chanting slogans. Inspector Ahmed said when he came out to talk to the lawyers, the latter started arguing with him. They also pushed the inspector and one of them slapped him before forcefully entering the building.

The Ramna police registered the case under Pakistan Penal Code (PPC)’s section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty) and 186 (obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public functions).

A police officer told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that investigation had been launched into the case and police were collecting footages of the lawyers.

So far some of them have been identified, he said, adding some of the lawyers had come from Punjab. Security camera footages are also being examined to ascertain when the lawyers had entered the capital.

There are also reports that a group of lawyers had come from Punjab and held a meeting with a PML-N leader in the red zone before reaching the judicial complex, the officer stated.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2017