Lahore: Punjab police have booked ousted prime minister Imran Khan and 150 others, including some members of his former cabinet, in connection with the hounding of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation at Masjid-e-Nabwi in Saudi Arabia, officials said.
Video clips circulating on social media showed some pilgrims — apparently supporters of Imran Khan — shouting ‘chor‘ (thief) and ‘gaddar‘ (traitor) as soon as Shehbaz Sharif and other members of his delegation arrived at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina last Thursday.
The Pakistani pilgrims also used abusive language against the delegation members. Madina police claim to have arrested five Pakistanis involved in the sloganeering.
According to the details, case no. 798/2022 was registered in Madina Town police station of Faisalabad.
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Punjab police on Saturday night registered an FIR against Mr Khan, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and 150 others, including former federal minister Sheikh Rasheed, former adviser to the prime minister Shahbaz Gill, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Soori, and Mr Khan’s close aides in London, Anil Musarrat and Sahibzada Jehangir and others,officials said.
The case has been registered at a police station in Faisalabad, around 180 km from Lahore, on the complaint of local resident Naeem Bhatti on the charges of desecration of the Prophet’s mosque in Madina, hooliganism and hurting the sentiments of Muslims, they said.
The FIR has been registered under different sections, including 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
