LAHORE – Two members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) werearrested on Wednesday night, bumping up the total number of arrestees to 55as compared to the more than 70 names booked for a protest againstjudiciary and state institutions.
Wasim Akhtar, a member of the National Assembly, and Naeem Safdar, a memberof the Provincial Assembly, gave themselves up to the police last nightafter upwards of 70 workers of the political party, including the localfederal and provincial lawmakers, were booked in two separate cases.
This brings the aggregate number of arrested party workers to 55.
*Lawmakers, workers booked for protest*
Filed by Constable Abdul Rasheed and Major (retired) Habib-ur-Rehman, thetwo cases had included names of Nasir Mehmood, the chairman of Bait-ul-MalKasur, and Jameel Ahmed, the chairman of Market Committee, apart fromAkhtar and Safdar.
Both cases were filed on the grounds that the protestors used inappropriatelanguage against the judiciary and other state institutions.
The action initiated on the directives of Arif Nawaz, the Inspector-Generalof Police (IGP) for Punjab, would be implemented at any cost, Zahid Marwat,the district police officer (DPO) for Kasur, said, adding that teams hadbeen dispatched to arrest the PML-N workers who participated in the rally.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi took a strict noticeof the protest and directed the party’s chief present Sheikh Aftab to takedisciplinary action against the members involved in the protest.