Masjid-e-Nabawi incident: Sheikh Rashid's nephew arrested upon return to Pakistan

• Sheikh Rashid condemns nephew's arrest, says "none of us were in Saudi Arabia but still cases were registered".
• Says "people would harass them wherever they went."
• Sources say Rashid travelled to Pakistan through a private airline.

ISLAMABAD: Former federal minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed's nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq was arrested at the Islamabad airport upon his arrival from Saudi Arabia in the wee hours of Sunday.

The arrest has been made in connection with the incident of slogan chanting at Masjid-e-Nabawi against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation.

Sources affiliated with the airport staff said that Shafiq travelled to Pakistan through a private airline.

Rashid confirmed his nephew's arrest, saying that he had just landed in Pakistan after performing Umrah when he was arrested.

"None of us were in Saudi Arabia, but cases were still registered [against us]. Residences are being raided after the registration of the cases," Rashid said, condemning the arrest.

He further stated that people would "harass them wherever they went".

Sources privy to the matter said that Shafiq has been shifted to a Federal Investigation Agency cell.

A case had been registered against Shafiq at Faisalabad's Madina Town on behalf of Muhammad Naeem . A total of 14 known and 100-150 unidentified people, including PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry, Shehbaz Gill, Sahibzada Jahangir and other PTI members have been nominated in the case.

On the night following the Masjid-e-Nabawi incident, Shafiq had posted a video from the holy site, supporting the hooliganism.

He had also hinted that the same would happen to the delegation when they visit the Holy Kaaba in Makkah.

Masjid-e-Nabawi incident

PM Shehbaz and his delegation had reached Saudi Arabia on Thursday for a three-day official visit at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Shahzain Bugti, Mohsin Dawar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi, Chaudhry Salik, and four members of PM Shehbaz Sharif's staff were accompanying the prime minister on his visit.

But as Marriyum Aurangzeb and Shahzain Bugti arrived at the mosque, the protesters started chanting slogans of "chor, chor (thieves)" when they saw the premier and harassed and raised objectionable slogans.

The protesters had also misbehaved with the JWP chief Shahzain Bugti and pulled his hair.

The protesters filmed the entire episode with their mobile phones.