ISLAMABAD: A candidate for a National Assembly seat in Rawalpindi has been booked by the police under various charges, including resisting the police.

The candidate, Dr Azhar Saleem, is contesting in NA-60. Police have alleged that he and his supporters rioted in the capital, obstructed personnel from performing their duties and assaulted officials.

Elections have been postponed in NA-60 after PML-N’s candidate Hanif Abbasi was sentenced to life in prison in the ephedrine case.

The police have lodged a complaint against Dr Saleem with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) asking for necessary action to be taken against him, police said.

Police said a rally consisting of seven vehicles led by Dr Saleem attempted to enter the Red Zone on Sunday near a National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) office on Shahrah-i-Jamhuriat and were intercepted at a police picket.

The candidate and around two dozen others disembarked from the vehicles and walked towards Radio Pakistan after breaking through the ring of police.

Three more vehicles were then intercepted by police, after which senior officers were involved and police reserves also arrived on the scene.

The rally then dispersed, they said, and a case was registered against the candidate and his supporters with the Secretariat police under PPC sections 147 (rioting), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty).

A police officer told Dawn that arrests in the case have not been made yet.

Only one person has been identified, and investigators have been asked to examine footage from the Safe City cameras to identity more, he said.

Nadra will also be approached to identify individuals using CCTV footage, he said, and a complaint has been lodged with the ECP to decide the nature of action against the candidate.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2018