–Registered FIR lists provision of shelter to a convicted person, hate speech, violation of Section 144
RAWALPINDI: Following the directives of National Accountancy Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, the anti-graft watchdog’s Rawalpindi wing on Monday registered a First Information Report (FIR) with the Rawalpindi police against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Capt (r) Safdar, Shakeel Awan, Malik Ibrar, Chaudhry Tanveer, Hanif Abbasi and others.
The FIR – registered following the accountability court’s verdict in the Avenfield Reference Case, which sentenced Capt (r) Safdar to one year in prison – lists provision of shelter to a convicted person, unlawful gathering of people while Section 144 was imposed in Rawalpindi and delivery of hate speeches after issuance of Safdar’s arrest warrants in the said case.
According to a statement issued here, NAB’s investigation teams conducted raids at all of Safdar’s residences in Abbottabad, Mansehra and Haripur to make his arrest, but the latter had been shifted from Abbottabad to Rawalpindi/Islamabad, where he was provided shelter by PML-N leaders.
“NAB identified Capt (r) Safdar’s location in a bid to arrest him, but he had once again fled and started to gather party leaders and workers just to create a law and order situation in the context of a rally, which was also illegal. The NAB Rawalpindi team was ready to arrest him but sought help from the Rawalpindi police as he had not surrendered earlier and started to deliver hate speeches unlawfully in order to avoid his arrest,” said the statement.
It stated that the NAB chairman, taking serious notice of the incident, ordered NAB Rawalpindi DG to probe the matter in detail and identify the culprits, who provided shelter to a convicted person and created hurdles in his arrest.
“On the complaint of NAB Rawalpindi, the police registered an FIR against all those who helped a convicted criminal. After issuance of an FIR, no arrest has been made by Rawalpindi police as of yet, however, the bureau is monitoring all positions and will bring the situation to the NAB chairman’s notice,” concluded the statement.
