The Islamabad District and Sessions Court has sent over 45 workers and supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to jail for organizing a rally in the city without permission and violating Section 144, while 180 PTI leaders and workers, including Asad Umar, Raja Khurram Nawaz, were also booked for participating in the rally.
The party workers were arrested during a rally being taken by PTI Islamabad chapter to express solidarity with Chief Justice of Pakistan and judiciary.
The Margalla police produced 45 arrested PTI workers in the court of duty judge Ehtsham Alam and the investigating officer requested for their judicial remand. The court sent all of them to jail.
On the other hand, six PTI members who had been arrested were presented by the Khanna police before on-duty magistrate Mian Azhar and asked to be placed on judicial detention.
However, due to a lack of evidence, the court released all of them, and ordered the police to hand over any items that had been taken from them.
Separately, the Khanna police appeared before the on-duty magistrate with an arrested worker over the recovery of weapons from his possession.
The investigating officer requested for his judicial remand on the plea that he needed to be investigated over the recovery of weapons. The court accepted the plea and sent the PTI worker to jail.
Meanwhile, a case was registered against 180 PTI leaders and workers, including Asad Umar and Raja Khurram Nawaz, for taking out a rally in solidarity with the judiciary despite imposition of Section 144 in the capital.
The case was registered at Margalla police station and includes charges of violation of Section 144 and others.
Earlier, Islamabad police, following the orders of Ministry of Interior and Inspector General of Police, had imposed a ban on public gatherings and assemblies in federal capital.
Ministry of Interior issued a notification for imposing Section 144, under which there will be a ban on rallies, assemblies, protests, sit-ins and other forms of public gatherings across the city.
