Family members, friends of ARO for NA-15 booked

MANSEHRA: The police on Monday lodged a first information report (FIR) against family members and friends of Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) for NA-15 after they took him away from the hospital against the doctors’ medical advice.

“The family members and close friends who took the ARO from the health facility without doctors’ advice should be taken to justice under law,” Bilal Shahid Rao, the deputy commissioner/district returning officer was quoted as saying in the FIR lodged by the police after four days of the reported incident.

Those who took away ARO Mohammad Ishtiaq, according to FIR, were booked under sections 353/186 and 342 of Pakistan Penal Code but no arrest was made as yet. The police quoted the order of the deputy commissioner/ DRO in English in the basically Urdu FIR.

It said Muhammad Ishtiaq, who was officially assigned the ARO protocol and responsibilities, was a known heart patient and his condition deteriorated suddenly when he was on his way back to Mansehra from Torghar.

“His condition deteriorated when he was on way back to Mansehra with sensitive election material, and DHO shifted him to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital [Kath]for medical treatment,” the FIR quoted Bilal Shahid as saying.

If quoted the DRO as saying the ARO was under treatment when his family members and associates took him away on the pretext of his diagnostics tests outside Kath. “As ARO is a government employee, nobody could discharge him without a doctor’s medical advice so that all those behind such a drama might be taken to justice under relevant sections of the law,” he added.

The RO for NA-15 Mansehra-II wherein the Pakistan Muslim League-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif suffered defeat and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed aspirant Shahzada Gustasab Khan won but has also not been attending her office since she issued the Form-47 of the latter.