KARACHI: Police have registered cases against workers of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) on terror, sedition and other charges for carrying out rallies at three separate places in the metropolis a few days ahead of their main rally, police and PTM officials said on Thursday.

Manghopir police registered FIR (165/2018) against over 150 workers of the PTM under Sections 124-A (sedition), 125 (waging war against any power in alliance with Pakistan), 500 (punishment for defamation), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 7-ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997). The case was registered on behalf of the state through a police officer.

According to contents of the FIR, around 150 workers of the PTM, some of them mentioned in the case, held a corner meeting in the Sultanabad area of Manghopir under direction of their leader, Manzoor Pashteen.

According to the FIR, the speakers allegedly levelled “serious charges” against military institutions.

An identical case was also registered against PTM workers at Shah Latif Town police station, said area SHO Abdul Ghaffar Shah. One more case was registered at Bin Qasim Town police station.

So far, no one had been arrested, added the officials.

Meanwhile, Advocate Mohsin Dawar told Dawn that the cases were a “tactic” to sabotage PTM’s rally scheduled for May 13 in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2018