Terrorism charges added in case against Maryam Nawaz, Capt Safdar over NAB office clash

LAHORE: Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, which deals with punishment for terrorism, was added on Friday to the case against 16 PML-N members — including Captain (retd) Safdar and Maryam Nawaz — who were booked for the alleged incitement of riots outside the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) office last month.

Consequently, a sessions court in Lahore dismissed the plea for interim bail filed by the 16 PML-N workers and directed all parties to approach the relevant forum.

The investigating officer told the court that terrorism provisions have been added to the case hence it was no longer under the jurisdiction of the sessions court.

To this, Safdar’s counsel said it was unfortunate that terrorism charges were being added to a political case. “Police added terrorism charges to the case contrary to the truth,” he said.

Later in the day, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incorporation of a terrorism clause in the police report against the party;s workers.

"Shows how coward and insecure Niazi government is," he said, adding: "PTI is brazenly promoting the politics of vendetta and revenge."

PML-N supporters, police clash out NAB Lahore office

Last month, PML-N supporters and police engaged in violent clashes outside the Bureau’s office, where Maryam Nawaz had been summoned to respond in a case of alleged illegal transfer of government land.

Whilst police and the Punjab government claimed that it was a deliberate attempt on the PML-N leader's part to create anarchy, Maryam had accused NAB and police of attacking the party's workers and pelting stones at her bulletproof car.

A case had been registered against Maryam, Safdar and others in the Chohang police station after NAB officials filed a case.

Rana Sanaullah, Pervez Rashid, Zubair Mahmood, Javed Latif, Daniel Aziz and Pervez Malik had also been named in the first information report (FIR).

Police had also registered a case against 300 unidentified persons, including 188 PML-N workers, which includes violence against police personnel.