Ata Tarar warns Punjab govt against arresting PMLN leaders, MPs

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Narcotics Control Attaullah Tarar on Saturday warned the PTI and Punjab government that “all of you” will be arrested if a single PMLN worker is sent behind bars.

Tarar alleged that the Punjab government — a coalition of the PMLQ and PTI — has booked PMLN workers and MPAs as retribution for the sedition case filed against PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill, reported Geo News.

The press briefing came after 12 PML-N leaders approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking protective bail in a case related to ruckus in the Punjab Assembly during the chief minister election. A district court issued their arrest warrants a day prior.

The PML-N leaders include Tarar, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Awais Leghari, Muhammad Mirza Javed, Malik Saif ul Malook Khokhar, Peer Khizer Hayat Shah Khagga, Raja Sagheer Ahmed, Mian Abdul Rauf, Pir Muhammad Ashraf Rasool, Bilal Farooq Tarar, and Rana Mannan Khan.

Tarar said the “actual case” was against Chief Minister Punjab Pervez Elahi alleging that he, his party, and other PTI leaders were involved in the attack on former deputy speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Mazari. “The whole nation watched what happened to Dost Mazari. This was the actual case. But nothing happened to Pervez Elahi,” the special assistant to PM said. “They concocted fake cases against us,” he said.

The premier’s special assistant, addressing the PTI and the Punjab government, said that they would have to pay for their “revenge politics” that they have resorted to and that their actions “will have repercussions”.

“Pervez Elahi and his Punjab government are being controlled through remote control from Banigala. This is his old habit. For God’s sake, stop this, the country has already borne much loss.”

Tarar vowed that the PML-N would “face this fascist government head on” and not back down.