Punjab govt dismisses May 25 cases against PTI workers

LAHORE: The Punjab government has dismissed 14 alleged vandalism cases filed against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and leaders on May 25 in connection with the party's long march.

Talking to the media, Punjab Home Minister Col (retd) Hashim Dogar said that 14 cases were registered against the PTI leaders and workers in Lahore, adding that the police had found evidence that all the cases were filed on false and political grounds.

He said that if an attempt was made to arrest PTI Chairman Imran Khan, a tit-for-tat response would be given not by only by the party but also by the masses. Inquiries against the officers involved in the Punjab May 25 incident would be completed compulsorily, he added.

Hashim Dogar said that it was the policy of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and the cabinet that the inquiry against these officers must be completed. From day one, we had evidence of torture of Shahbaz Gil.

Separately, the Punjab Assembly Wednesday strongly condemned registration of cases against former prime minister Imran Khan, saying that such moves were aimed at derailing the democratic system.

A resolution was moved by Provincial Minister Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and was passed by the House with a majority vote, expressing solidarity with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman.

The resolution said the purpose of registering fake cases against a ‘genuine leader’ of Pakistan and Islam, Imran Khan, was to deteriorate the country’s situation and to derail the democratic system in the country. He said registration of such cases had tarnished Pakistan’s image at global level and even the Secretary General of the United Nations had voiced serious concern over it.

The resolution also stated that the PTI is the largest and the most popular party of the country and such mean tactics cannot stop it from its struggle against the imported government.

The House expresses complete solidarity with Imran Khan, condemns the nefarious acts of the imported government and demands the federal government quash cases immediately and face the political leadership in the political arena, the resolution said.

Speaking in the Punjab Assembly, Mehmoodur Rasheed said urged the federal government to act in a saner way and warned that a leader who enjoyed the support of millions of people could not be implicated in this way. He said the way people had turned up on the call of Imran Khan was unprecedented. He said the nation would only side by Imran Khan and the imported government had been rejected.

Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, the PTI MPA who defeated Amin Chaudhry, brother of Aun Chaudhry, in the recent July 17 by-polls, told the House that an FIR had also been registered against him. He said he would say ‘Labbaik’ on the call of his leader. He said the PMLN government had been frustrated by Imran’s popularity and that was the reason it was resorting to such tactics.

The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) members, however, staged a walkout at passing of the resolution from the assembly. They gathered outside the Punjab Assembly at the stairs and staged a protest demonstration against Imran Khan and the PTI.The Central Business District Development Authority (Amendment) Bill was also introduced in the PA.