Threatening, teasing PML-N MPA

Court cancels ex-army officer’s bail before arrest orders

NOWSHERA: The police on Thursday arrested Major (R) Muhammad Tahir Khan after the judge of the District and Sessions Court cancelled his bail before arrest in a case of allegedly threatening and teasing lawmaker Sobia Shahid.

Sobia Shahid, Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had lodged the first information report (FIR) against Major (R) Muhammad Tahir at the Risalpur Police Station on February 1.

She accused him of making threatening phone calls and teasing her for the past several years.She alleged that the retired army officer has launched a campaign to malign her and was sending her offensive messages. She claimed that he was running a fake Facebook account under her name as well.

Major (R) Tahir had approached the District and Sessions Court, Nowshera and secured bail before arrest order.Later, he also got registered an FIR against Sobia Shahid for fraud and giving him invalid bank cheques.

He took the stance that he and the lawmaker were business partners and were running a construction company. He alleged that the MPA had given him three invalid cheques of Rs13 million but these could not be cashed as there was no money in her bank account.

According to Major (r) Tahir, he asked the lawmaker to return the money but she sought time to arrange the amount. He said that later Shahidullah, the spouse of Sobia Shahid, also borrowed Rs5.2 million from him.

He alleged that the lawmaker started blackmailing him and got registered a case against him when he demanded return of the money owed to him.The judge of the District and Session Court Ahmad Iftikhar cancelled the bail before arrest of Major (R) Tahir after hearing the arguments from the defense and petitioner’s lawyers.

The police arrested Major (R) Tahir from the courtroom after suspension of his bail before arrest. The police produced him in the court of Civil Judge-cum-Judicial Magistrate Shakeel Arshad. The judge sent the accused on 10 days judicial remand to the prison.

Sobia Shahid and her husband Shahidullah are presently abroad.District Police Officer (DPO) Wahid Mehmood told the reporters that the provincial police chief Nasir Khan Durrani has formed an investigation committee to probe the matter on merit.