Shehbaz says police ‘attacked our peaceful rally’

• PML-N president says holding trial of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz in jail is a ‘mockery of justice’ 

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday accused Punjab Police of “attacking the peaceful rally of the party workers without any justified reasons”.

The PML-N president’s press conference in Lahore came after the police registered an FIR [First Information Report] against Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N leaders Mushahid Hussain Syed, Afzal Tarrar, Zafarul Haq, Talal Chaudhry, Javed Hashmi and others, for allegedly instigating party workers to riot during the mammoth rally.

The rally, which remained peaceful for most parts of the day, witnessed sporadic incidents of violence wherein police and the PML-N workers clashed wherein police used tear gas and baton-charged the PML-N workers.

Criticising the caretaker Punjab government, Shehbaz said the interim government did not mete out fair treatment to deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz at the time of their arrest. He also termed the prison trial of father-daughter duo an “obstruction of justice”.

“I have heard Nawaz and Maryam’s trial will be held in Adiala jail,” he said, adding that ‘only trials of terrorists are carried out in jails’. The PML-N leader said that when former military ruler Pervez Musharraf had made a plane hijacking case against Nawaz in 1999, even then Nawaz’s trial was not held in jail.

The PML-N will use all possible measures to avail justice for its supreme leader and till then the party rallies will be akin to protest demonstrations, wherein workers will participate wearing black armbands.

Referring to the Lahore power show of the party, he said entire country witnessed as “millions” tried to reach the Lahore airport to greet Nawaz Sharif upon his arrival. “People from all walks of lives were present; some had journeyed from different provinces. Yet, the caretaker set up had created an environment of fear and our workers were rounded up unnecessarily.”

The ex-CM complained about the media blackout during the rally, saying, “The media also completely blocked the incident, but those who shattered the economy were featured everywhere all day long.”

In a warning to those who “committed atrocities”, Shehbaz said, “Soon the law will come into action and those who committed these atrocities will face courts,” he warned.

Separately, as many as 20 FIRs were registered against PML-N leaders and workers for holding a rally in Faisalabad in violation of the ECP’s code of conduct and without permission.

Rana Sanaullah, Ali Abbas, Rana Afzal, Malik Nawaz and other PML-N leaders have been named in these cases.