RAWALPINDI, Jan 8: Several leaders of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) PML-N, including secretary information, were booked by the City police on charges of violating a ban on protest demonstrations and delivering anti-government speeches, police said. The party’s secretary information, Siddiqul Farooq, Najma Hameed, Asif Mehmood Butt, vice-president youth wing city, Ishtiaq Ahmed Aasi, Akhtar Mehmood, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Maqbool Khan have been identified in the FIR lodged with the City police under 16 MPO. Several other people have also been booked whose names have not been mentioned in the FIR.

When DSP City Sardar Maqsood was contacted, he confirmed that an FIR had been registered against some PML-N people under 16 MPO.

Police said around 250 political activists led by the PML-N leaders had staged a protest demonstration against the government in front of Rawalpindi Press Club on December 22, 2005 during which they delivered speeches against the government and condemned price hike and construction of Kalabagh dam.

After the protest demonstration was over, a formal report was registered with the City police and the text of the speeches delivered by the speakers was sent to the legal expert to identify the violators. Later on January 7 a case was registered against the PML-N leaders.

Meanwhile, one person was shot and injured in a robbery in Sector I-10/4, while a cell phone shop was robbed by three robbers in the Westridge police area on Sunday.

Police said Zakir Sheikh was heading towards home when two robbers intercepted him and forced him to give up cash. Mr Sheikh was shot and injured when he refused to hand them over the cash.