LAHORE: Former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair, who is the spokesperson for former premier Nawaz Sharif, and PML-N deputy secretary general Attaullah Tarar visited the Shahdara police station on Wednesday and offered their arrest in the sedition case against them.

They met the Shahdara SHO and asked him why he registered a sedition case against two former prime ministers, the AJK premier, and three retired Lt generals on the complaint of a citizen. Zubair and Tarar were also nominated in the FIR.

Zubair said it could not be registered without the permission of Prime Minister Imran Khan. “This FIR has been registered at the behest of Imran Khan who is fond of booking opposition leaders in different cases,” he added. He said he and Tarar had come here to offer arrest but the investigation officer was not present in the police station. “We strongly condemn this FIR,” he said.

He said Nawaz Sharif had spoken on public issues in the PML-N central executive committee meeting. “Nawaz Sharif respected every jawan of the army,” he added. He said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was unaware of this FIR as the order came directly from the premier. He said the complainant of the case was a PTI worker.

Attauallah Tarar said if the government did not want to arrest the nominated persons, it should quash the FIR. “PM Khan came to know about this FIR when he was cutting his birthday cake,” he said.

The FIR against Nawaz Sharif and 41 main leaders of the PML-N had been lodged on the complaint of a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) worker having a criminal record.

Complainant Badar Rashid, a resident of Shahdara’s Khurshid Park, has been booked under attempted murder charges by the Shahdara police where he is now a complainant in the sedition case against the PML-N leadership. He is also nominated in FIRs for possessing illegal weapons in Sharaqpur (Nankana district) and attacking a police officer at the Old Anarkali police station.

The FIR alleged that the purpose of convicted Nawaz Sharif was to provoke the nation and his party leaders against the elected government of Pakistan for bloodshed in the country.

Although the Punjab government announced striking off the name of Raja Farooq Haider from the FIR apparently after criticism from different quarters, still no order has been passed to police in this regard.

Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif will address the PML-N lawmakers in Model Town, Lahore on Thursday (today) through a video link from London.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2020