In a delayed move, the police registered four separate cases against 501 religious workers, including their leadership, under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) for creating terror and violence in society and formally arrested those booked in Rawalpindi on Sunday during clashes between workers of religious parties and police.
It took more than 24 hours to decide whether the protesters booked by police were to be released or formally arrested as the authorities concerned were waiting for the outcome of efforts by the government to persuade the marchers to disperse peacefully from D-Chowk.
But after their efforts proved unproductive, it was decided to register cases against the protesters who were picked up by police during the show down in Rawalpindi on Sunday.
Though the CPO Rawalpindi had claimed that around 1,000 people were booked as over a dozen, including he himself, were injured during clashes, the cases were registered only against 501 people.
“Yes, cases have been registered against the protesters, including their leadership who were involved in violence, under Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA),” City Police Officer Israr Ahmed Abbasi told South Punjab News.
The arrested people were detained in different police stations of Rawalpindi and Gujar Khan. All of those arrested would be sent to Adiala jail on Tuesday.
Expressing concern over the prevailing tense situation in the country due to terrorism and religious intolerance, opposition parties slammed the federal government on Monday for its “poor handling” of protesters who had parlaysed normal life in the capital through their sit-in in front of the Parliament House building.
“This is mishandling. This is the federal capital and they (the rulers) need to secure it,” PPP Vice-President Senator Sherry Rehman said, adding that opposition parties would raise the matter during the next session of the National Assembly and the joint sitting of parliament.
Talking to Dawn, Ms Rehman said that the government had taken the decision to call in the army to secure the Red Zone very late when protesters had already played havoc in streets.
The PPP leader regretted that Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had been missing from the scene for the past two days.
“You can’t have the capital under siege like this. It sends a wrong message to the nation as well as to the international community,” she said.
Awami National Party (ANP) leader Afrasiab Khattak also expressed concern over the situation and over the role of law-enforcement agencies in dealing with the situation.
“For peaceful protesters, the LEAs are rough and tough, but the crowd of fascists is welcome to keep judiciary and the parliament under the siege. Hard and soft state,” said Mr Khattak in his brief comment on a social media.
Earlier in the day, five PPP lawmakers submitted an adjournment motion to the National Assembly Secretariat, seeking a discussion on the prevailing situation with a particular reference to the protest march and sit-in by activists of religious parties in Islamabad.
Drawing “immediate attention of the government, especially the minister for interior towards deteriorating law and order situation in the country in general and in Islamabad in particular,” the PPP members termed the situation a “serious threat to life and property of the people living in Islamabad and adjacent areas”.
“The life in the capital city has been brought to a standstill due to sheer negligence of the government which has remained unable to maintain law and order in the city,” the motion said.
“The government has failed to make sufficient prior security arrangements despite knowing the intensity of events. Such security lapses on the part of the government are highly intolerable and needs to be questioned. This is a very sensitive matter of grave concern and needs immediate attention,” the PPP lawmakers said while seeking a debate on the issue.
The motion carries signatures of lawmakers Shazia Mari, Dr Nafisa Shah, Mir Aijaz Jakhrani, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah and Makhdoom Mustafa Mehmood.
Meanwhile, President Mamnoon Hussain has summoned the National Assembly session on April 7, according to an official announcement made by the National Assembly Secretariat on Monday.
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