ISLAMABAD: The capital police have registered a case against over 6,000 protesters who, under the banner of Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz-i-Nabuwat, entered the Red Zone on Sunday.

The case has been registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and different sections of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at the Secretariat police station in response to a complaint lodged by a police official.

The FIR was registered under section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism), 11-W (printing, publishing or disseminating any material to incite hatred or giving projection to any person convicted for a terrorist act or any proscribed organisation or an organisation placed under observation or anyone concerned in terrorism) and 11-X (responsibility for creating civil commotion) of ATA, along with sections 395 (punishment for dacoity), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) besides section 2/3 of Amplifier Act.

Seven persons were nominated in the FIR with their names while 5,000 to 6,000 were unidentified.

Case registered under ATA and different sections of PPC at Secretariat police station

According to the FIR, police deployment was made at the D-Chowk entry point.

“At around 3:35pm, miscreants coming from three sides under the leadership of Qazi Abdul Rasheed started assembling at Express Chowk. They were about 5,000 to 6,000 and armed with weapons and batons. They set up a stage at Express Chowk besides blocking Ataturk Avenue, Jinnah Avenue and Embassy Road,” the FIR said, adding officials of police and administration warned them that Section 144 had been imposed in the capital. Besides, there was also a ban on staging protests inside the Red Zone under the orders of superior courts.

Moreover, the protesters had not taken a no-objection certificate (NOC) and the gathering was illegal, the FIR said. However, they set up a stage and delivered provocative speeches by using a loudspeaker.

“Later, they announced to march to Supreme Court with the demand that either the chief justice tender resignation or the government remove him,” the FIR said, adding the speakers also chanted slogans against the government and judiciary.

The police tried to intercept them when the protesters started marching towards the SC building. However, they moved forward after attacking the police and damaging the D-Chowk entry gate, cameras, streetlights and police vehicles.

They also snatched a number of anti-riot kits from police officials along with a 12-bore gun and beat and injured some of the officials. They also made a police constable hostage and as a result two officials were injured.

The police fired teargas shells on the protesters, but they moved forward and also blocked Constitution Avenue.

The protesters were stopped at the National Assembly gate from where they dispersed later, the FIR said.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2024