RAWALPINDI: A lawyer was booked under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) on the complaint of a traffic warden for sharing a video clip on social media to defame police and provoke public sentiments against it.

The case was registered at the Cantonment police station on the complaint of Inspector Wajid Mehmood of the City Traffic Police. According to the FIR, the official was on duty with his staff at Haider Road turn on Saturday when at about 7:30am he stopped a motorcyclist for not wearing helmet and lacking the front registration plate.

He said a ticket was issued to the motorcyclist, who identified himself as Malik Tajammul Awan, a lawyer. The motorcycle was impounded for not processing registration papers.

Mr Awan called 10 to 15 lawyers to the site who threatened the traffic police personnel with serious consequences. However, the issue was resolved with the help of other traffic police personnel.

Later, Advocate Chaudhry Rizwan Elahi posted a video clip of the incident on Facebook to defame the police and provoke public sentiment against it besides hurling threats of dire consequences and interfering in police work, said the FIR. Over the matter, the case under Peca was registered against him.

On the other hand, lawyers condemned the registration of the case against their colleague. A statement issued by Rawalpindi Bar Association Secretary Asad Mahmood Malik condemned “the illegal, unconstitutional and inappropriate behaviour of the traffic warden towards its esteemed member and former joint secretary Malik Tajammul Awan.”

It said despite the resolution of the matter, an illegal and baseless case was registered. It said if the case was not dismissed within 24 hours, the district bar will announce its next course of action.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2025