ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday directed the interior ministry to immediately withdraw a case registered against journalists at the Secretariat Police Station, sources told Dawn.

Sources said the prime minister in his directive to federal Secretary Syed Kamal Shah had asked for withdrawal of the First Information Report against journalists for violating section 144.

Despite several attempts Mr Shah was not available for comments. Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao when contacted said: We have started processing the instruction of the prime minister.

Asked if any directive was issued to the local police to withdraw the case, the minister said: What are you trying to ask, I told you that we have started sorting out the matter.

Sources in the police department, however, said that no instruction from the ministry or the PM Secretariat had been received so far for the withdrawal of the case.

The case has been registered on the charge of violating section 144 and if the PM and the high-ups want to withdraw the case, then police will obey the orders, they said.