SAHIWAL: Pakpattan Saddar police booked newly elected PML-N MPA Mian Naveed Ali, his father -- senior PML-N leader Rana Ahmed Ali Arain -- and others for threatening and harassing people by firing in the air and illegally trespassing on a piece of land in Bahrampur village on July 12.

Police booked five people and 45 others who were unidentified.

There was a dispute between Rana Ahmed and Sharafat Dogar over ownership of a piece of land in village Bahrampur. Police arrested Ahmed from his residence after lodging a first information report (FIR) under sections 452, 506/B, 337/H2, 148 and 149 of the PPC on the complaint of Dogar. His son, the MPA, could not be arrested as he was in Lahore for oath-taking.

District Police Officer Rizwan Gondal, while talking to the media, said no one would be allowed to take law into their hands.

Ahmed was sent on judicial remand by area magistrate Naveeda. The FIR stated that he along with his son, MPA Naveed Ali, and union council Chairman Bashir Ahmed and others forcefully entered the agriculture land of Dogar where he was working with his employees.

The suspected attackers claimed that the land was disputed and the matter was in both civil and judicial court, so the complainant could not carry out agricultural activity there. In the FIR, Dogar alleged that the suspects fired in the air and created harassment. Ahmed, Naveed, Waqar Ahmed, Bashir Ahmed, Aslam and 45 unidentified people have been mentioned in the FIR.

On Wednesday, two dozen Pakpattan Municipal Committee employees gathered at Nagina Chowk and protested against the arrest of senior PML-N leader Rana Ahmed. They blocked traffic for two hours and demanded his immediate release.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2018