QUETTA: Police have withdrawn a case registered against journalists for holding a demonstration on Monday near the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, which has been demarcated as a ‘red zone’.

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani had directed the civil lines police to withdraw the FIR, a statement issued on Tuesday said.

According to the statement, Mr Raisani said registration of a case for holding peaceful rallies was against the norm of a democratic and political set-up and warned of zero tolerance against such moves in future.

“This is not marital law where voices of journalists and political workers could be suppressed. It’s an era of freedom of speech and a free press,” he said.

“Police or other institutions won’t be allowed to take action outside the parameters of law and the Constitution.”

The statement claimed that the DIG (Operations) was asked by Inspector General of police to visit the press club, where he told the office-bearers of the Balochistan Union of Journalists and the club that the case had been withdrawn.