GUJRANWALA: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday issued bailable arrest warrants for PML-N leader and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan in a case lodged against him at Gujrat’s Industrial Area police station in 2022, ordering his production on March 7, 2023.

The Gujrat police had registered a terrorism case against Mr Sanaullah on Aug 25, 2022, on the complaint of a local leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Shaikh Shahkaz Aslam, for allegedly threatening the judiciary and government officials in his speeches on April 15, 2021 and Jan 29, 2022.

The police had quashed the case and submitted a report to the court which was later annulled by the ATC, followed by the issuance of arrest warrants for the minister.

Judge Rana Zahid Iqbal of the ATC, while issuing show-cause not­ices to the investigation officer, dep­uty superintendent of police (DSP) and investigation wing’s superintendent of police (SP) concerned, ord­er­ed the officers to produce Mr San­aullah before the court on March 7.

The 2022 FIR was registered under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (punishment for acts of terrorism), and sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 189 (threat of injury to public servant) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Rana Sanaullah faces terrorism charges for ‘threatening’ judiciary, police

The complaint stated that during his speeches on April 15, 2021 and Jan 29, 2022, the interior minister had threatened to stop the judiciary from doing its job and kill children of the Punjab police officials.

According to Dawn.com, the FIR reproduced Sanaullah’s remarks aired on a private TV channel show. The FIR stated, “The purpose of Sanaullah’s statements was to terrorise the judiciary, chief secretary, commissioner and people of the country. His aim was to stop the officials from working and prevent them from fulfilling their lawful responsibilities.”

It added that the minister’s speeches had created fear in the judiciary, bureaucracy, police, administration and the nation. Furthermore, it was pleaded in the FIR that Mr Sanaullah should be probed for his comments and be punished “to create an example for other citizens speaking against government officials”.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2023