SHANGLA: PTI leader and former provincial minister Shaukat Yousafzai was on Friday declared an absconder by a Shangla court in a case related to the alleged violation of Section 144.
The Shangla administration had imposed Section 144 in August in the wake of riots after former premier Imran Khan’s arrest. The ban was imposed again from November 3 till December 5.
The case was registered on November 21 against his Shaukat’s brother Liaqat Yousafzai and six others for holding a PTI party meeting despite the ban a man on public gatherings.
The FIR invokes section 109 (Punishment of abetment, if the act abetted, is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment), section 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), section 187 (Omission to assist public servant when bound by law to give assistance), section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and section 147 (Punishment for rioting).
Islamzada, a PTI spokesperson, had confirmed to Dawn on November 22 that the party had organised a meeting in preparations for the coming elections at the hujra of Alpuri tehsil Nazim Waqar Ahmad Khan, and party president Liaqat and others were going to attend it when their jeep was stopped by the Karora police officials and they were taken into custody.
He deplored that roads were blocked to arrest the PTI leaders and workers, while PML-N held a public meeting in the Chakesar area the same day.
On Friday, according to an order given by the magistrate court in Shangla District, Shaukat was declared an absconder after the police carried out numerous raids to arrest the former provincial minister.
Shangla police were in Peshawar to arrest the PTI leader during intraparty elections and after they were unable to located him, sections 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), and 506 were added to the FIR.
While speaking to Dawn.com, Liaqat said that the Election Commission of Pakistan failed to provide a level playing field to PTI and the police were using force to stop them from entering Shangla.
Convention in Swabi
The police registered an FIR against 21 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leaders and workers, including senior vice-president Sher Afzal Marwat Advocate, on Saturday night for violating the Section 144 by holding a workers’ convention in the district.
DSP Jawad Khan confirmed the registration of FIR against PTI activists in the Swabi police station. The convention was held in the hujra (common guest house) of a local leader, Ijaz Khan in Aurangabad village.
“Let the police register cases against us as we are not afraid of them. There are about two months to go when elections are held, and we cannot remain disconnected with our voters,” a PTI leader had told Dawn soon after the conclusion of the convention.
Apart from Sher Afzal, the prominent leaders and workers nominated in the FIR included Abdul Karim, former adviser to the chief minister, Faisal Khan Tarakai, brother of former provincial minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, Attaullah Khan, Swabi mayor, and Major retired Fida Hussain.
Meanwhile, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and former provincial minister Shahram Tarakai congratulated the party workers through social media posts for holding a ‘successful’ convention.
Mr Qaiser said that though the party faced difficult situations but remained steadfast in the face adversity.
Shahram said: “I congratulate all the workers for organising a great convention. I am happy that the historic convention concluded peacefully.”