ISLAMABAD, March 20: The judicial magistrate, Sayed Muzaffar Ali Shah, issued non-bailable arrest warrants to 70 local leaders and activists of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for ignoring court orders.

The Secretariat police had booked some 120 local leaders and activists of the party for staging a demonstration against the policies of the then government in 1997. They were also accused of “trying to disrupt public peace”.

The police had also baton-charged that demonstration which resulted in injuries to several leaders and activists of the party, including former federal ministers, Ch. Aitzaz Ahsan and Mian Raza Rabbani. The PPP activists had also retaliated, as a result of which several officials of the police and Islamabad administration were injured.

Nahid Khan was also booked by the Secretariat police, besides, other women activists of the party, but, they were later exempted from personal appearance before the court.