Shahbaz pushed around, protesters clash with police

LAHORE: The PML-N is going to call a meeting of its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting to deliberate upon the recent developments regarding the arrest of party president Shahbaz Sharif and the probable arrests of more leaders in near future.

Although there were many informal consultations session in different quarters of the PML-N leadership, the party leadership believe that it is important to share the developments and take the CEC’s suggestions.

Sources say Raja Zafar-ul-Haq will chair the meeting which won’t be attended by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. The date and time of the CEC meeting would be announced Sunday (today).

Meanwhile, the PML-N leaders strongly condemned the way their party president was pushed around at the accountability court. The PML-N staged several protests in Lahore against the arrest on Saturday. One of these was staged outside the accountability court where Shahbaz was presented. The police tried to contain the protesters which resulted in heated exchanges leading to clashes between the police and the protesters. The party supporters surrounded the armoured vehicle in which Shahbaz was brought to the court and blocked its way, chanting slogans against the government and in favour of their party president. The police tried to clear the way which led to the clash.

In their bid to get Shahbaz out of the vehicle before the hearing and back into it after that, the security personnel also manhandled Shahbaz which was caught on camera and further infuriated the protesters. Marriyum Aurangzeb, Pervaiz Malik, Imran Nazir, Azma Bukhari and other PML-N leaders were present at the court.

An FIR was registered against MNA Waheed Alam and MPA Mian Marghoob after they staged a protest at the Charing Cross on Mall Road. The PML-N leaders led a rally to the Charing Cross where the protesters blocked the roads by burning tyres. They were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans rejecting the use of NAB for political victimisation.

The police maintained that it was a violation of the Maintenance of Public Order 16 (MPO 16) which is not allowed under the current circumstances and order of the government. Therefore, it was inevitable that a police report be filed against this violation.

PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, commenting on the clash between the protestors and the police, said the way Shahbaz was brought in an armoured vehicle and pushed around by security personnel was a shameful tactic of the PTI government to discourage the voters and supporters of PML-N to influence the upcoming by-elections that could erase the meagre lead of the government in the Parliament. She said the government wanted unrest as they knew about their political defeat in the upcoming by-elections. The arrest of Shahbaz was orchestrated to influence the by-polls as it was done in arresting of PMLN leadership before general election, she added.

Marriyum said, “Imran khan knows that he cannot ensure political defeat of the PML-N. They were expecting a divide in PML-N, cracks, forward blocs and when none happened then they are now using institutions for witch hunting and political victimisation of the PML-N, which is evident from the statements of the federal and provincial information minsters’ statements. “The PTI is resorting to political victimisation to create an environment inhospitable for by-elections, but the PML-N would not respond with any activity that would create unrest and vandalism. If the PTI were in opposition and these atrocities were subjected upon them, they would have most certainly reverted to violence and vandalism,” she said.

“History will vindicate Shahbaz Sharif. The case is frivolous and not a rupee was released by the Punjab government and not an inch of government land was given for the project.”