LAHORE, May 19: A brawl between the prime minister’s security contingent and the Punjab police on Saturday over jurisdiction apparently exacerbated tensions between the People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-N.

The spat attracted media attention when Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani left the Expo Centre, the venue of Virtual University’s convocation.

A member of the prime minister’s security detail reportedly stopped an SHO of a local police station and an SP, one after the other, from going near the stage where the prime minister was sitting.

According to the blue book, the SP said he was security in-charge at the venue and a junior cadre official had tried to direct him and the SHO how they should behave at an event being attended by the prime minister and other VVIPs. The dispute began when the prime minister’s security official, Talat, did not allow SHO Mustaneed, on duty at the venue, to go near the stage. The SHO returned and complained to his boss, Sadar SP Athar Waheed. Later, the SP himself tried to go there, but he too was stopped by the security official.

Initially, they kept quiet and soon after the convocation ceremony concluded and the prime minister left the venue, the police officials asked the security official why he had stopped them.

Talat allegedly used abusive language that provoked police to teach him a lesson.

Some policemen tried to get hold of the security official, but he was rescued by his colleagues. After a volley of exchange of hot words from both sides, the SP finally ordered his force to arrest Talat.

The security official, however, got into his official police jeep. The SP immediately opened the driving seat door, pulled the driver out and asked his staff to sit in the jeep and take the security official to the police station.

According to some electronic media personnel, the security official alleged that police had tried to create a scene on the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Later, the SP asked the security official to say sorry and he would let him go. But the official said: “I will not apologise because I didn’t do anything wrong”.

The SP ordered his staff to take the official’s jeep to the police station.

Talking to reporters, SP Waheed said a constable rank official had stopped him and the SHO from going to the stage. He said he had deputed eight SHOs and 500 policemen for security at the venue.

“If a constable guides an SHO and SP, how the system will work,” he asked. “Security of the prime minister and other VIPs at the venue was my responsibility.”

According to a notification issued late night, the Punjab police transferred SP Waheed, saying his removal had already been decided, well before Saturday’s episode. I n reply to a question about denial of the security official to apologise, SP Waheed said he would ensure that a case was registered against the official.

Meanwhile, Punjab Governor Latif Khan Khosa took notice of the incident and directed the chief secretary, home secretary and IG to submit a report within 24 hours.

“Interference in the duty of prime minister’s security officials is an open revolt,” the governor said. “The officials responsible for an uncalled for altercation should be identified and fixed.”