SAHIWAL, May 15: City police on Monday night registered a case against 35 people, including leaders of local trader associations, ARD and MMA. Of them 16 are unidentified.

Reports said they had been accused of inciting shopkeepers to observe strike, violating section 144, taking out unlawful procession, establishing protest camps and creating a law and order situation.

Traders Association President Chaudhry Abdul Haq and Sheikh Bilal Ahmed allegedly incited shopkeepers to observe strike. ARD and MMA leaders had been accused of taking out unlawful procession.

Police registered a case against trader leaders Abdul Haq and Sheikh Bilal, Malik Nadeem Kamran of PML-N, Ali Imran Jaan of PPP, Maulana Munawar Ali Khan, Qari Muhammad Tahir Rashidi and Rana Zahid Farooq of MMA and 16 unidentified people. They have been booked under sections 188, 148 and 149 of the PPC and 16-MPO. No arrests were reported.

Meanwhile, 26 detainees of MMA and PML-N of Faisalabad were released from the central jail on Tuesday.

On April 22, police had arrested 36 people of MMA and PML-N on the orders of the Punjab home department. Their one-month detention orders were withdrawn. Four were released earlier and six are still at Sahiwal central jail.

PRE-ARREST BAIL: Additional District and Sessions Judge Haroon Latif on Tuesday granted pre-arrest bail to the chief executive of a flour mills in a wheat theft case.

Police had registered a case against Sheikh Muhammad Ashfaque on the complaint of National Bank manager Rana Liaquat for selling pledged wheat stock.

The court has directed the police to produce record of the case on May 24.