DERA GHAZI KHAN: Police have registered a case against 55 PTI protesters, 25 of them nominated, including former federal minister Ms Zartaj Gul and a former adviser to the chief minister, under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Those booked by Gaddai police include former federal minister Zartaj Gul, former health advisor Hanif Patafi, Malik Iqbal Saqib and others, for allegedly disturbing peace, blocking roads, shouting slogans against the government and the army, attacking police personnel and taking other illegal actions.

The police are conducting raids to arrest the PTI leaders and workers.

According to the FIR registered on the complaint of Gaddai police station Sub-Inspector Imtiaz Alam, he was present at Pul Dot, along with a police team, when Ms Zartaj Gul, Hanif Patafi, Malik Iqbal Saqib, Ruqiya Ramzan, 25 nominated and 30 unidentified protesters, blocked the inter-provincial Indus Highway and Dera-Quetta road on Sangam Chowk.

It says the “miscreants” allegedly raised slogans against the government and the Pakistan Army and incited people on the highway to destroy the government and private vehicles and other properties.

The FIR also says the protesters were told that Section 144 had been enforced by the Punjab government, but they did not listen to the police, violated law, attacked the policemen and blocked the road.

The miscreants interfered in the government affairs due to which fear spread in the area, it adds. The police registered a case No 567/23 against the suspects dated May 12, 2023, under section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order, ATA and different provisions of the PPC.

BISE EXAMS: The Dera Ghazi Khan Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) has released the schedule for holding the postponed papers of the Class IX Annual Examinations, 2023.

The examination was postponed because of the violent protests erupting after the arrest of the PTI chief Imran Khan in Al Qadir Trust case.

According to Controller of Examinations, Muhammad Zaheer Asghar Mirza, the paper of Tarjmat al-Qur’an, which was to be held on May 10 will now be held on May 17. Similarly, the Chemistry paper, postponed on May 11, will now be held on May 18, while the mandatory Islamiat paper will now be held on May 19.

It has been announced that the candidates should appear for the examinations as per the schedule of the first/second group in their respective centres.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2023