Prisoners not to be presented in courts for 3 days

LAHORE

Thousands of criminal cases will remain unattended in the city courts for next three days as all the police resources including prison vans and personnel have been used for a crackdown on PTI workers. 

Lahore police top brass were busy on Monday in consultations with divisional SPs to devise a strategy for the crackdown to be launched at Monday mid-night. Lists of activists, workers and leaders of PTI prepared by special branch and other intelligence agencies were shared. Furthermore, Divisional SPs conducted meetings with SHOs and DSPs at their offices. Anti-riot equipment, batons, helmets, teargas guns, shells, protective jackets and other logistics, have been provided to police stations by SP Headquarters. Reserve force has also been called to aid the local police in their action. Divisional SPs held briefings with force of their concerned police stations and gave instructions about the crackdown. According to the plan, the crackdown would be launched after Monday mid-night like earlier as Lahore Police in a surprise move did on Sunday night and arrested more than 150 workers.

Police raided the house of PTI and PML (Q) leaders on Sunday night. PML (Q) leaders, whose houses were raided, included Senator Kamil Ali Agha, Amjad Ch and Khawaza Tahir Zia. Police raided the house of former Punjab governor Ch Sarwar in Defence. Sarwar was not in the house. Police also raided the house and Dera of Mian Aslam Iqbal but he too was not present at home. It is learnt that Aslam Iqbal left Lahore by using metro bus and reached Shahdara, an exit point of Lahore, from where he left for Islamabad. However, Malik Karamat Ali Khokhar, a PTI ticket-holder, and other four PTI workers were arrested during a raid on his Dera. Meanwhile, the DCO office has also issued detention orders to police for the arrests under Maintenance of Public Order. An officer said the DCO office has assured the police of issuance of detention orders on immediate basis whose names are not in the list.

DIG Operations Haider Ashraf while talking to the News said that it was formally requested to the district and sessions courts that prisoners would not be presented in the courts due to unavailability of prison vans and personnel. He said all the resources of police department are being used to control law and order. He said prisoners would not be presented for next three days.