Masjid-e-Nabavi incident: Case registered against Imran

FAISALABAD/ISLAMABAD: The police on Sunday registered a case against 150 people, including former prime minister Imran Khan, for allegedly harassing, hurling abuses, sloganeering against the Pakistan delegation led by PM Shehbaz Sharif at the Masjid-e-Nabavi earlier this week.

Other accused named in the FIR included former federal ministers Fawad Chaudhry, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, former deputy speaker National Assembly Qasim Suri, former special assistant Shahbaz Gill, MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Sahibzada Jahangir, British national Pakistani businessman Aneel Mussarat, Nabil Mussarat, Ejazul Haq, Umair Ilyas, Rana Abdul Sattar, Barrister Amir Ilyass, Gohar Jilani and others.

The case has been registered against the suspects at the Madina Town police station on the complaint of a citizen, Muhammad Naeem. According to the FIR, two separate groups, a 150-member group from Pakistan and another group from London, had been sent to Saudi

Arabia, who harassed the Pakistani pilgrims and stopped them from performing their religious rituals at Masjid-e-Nabavi.

Referring to the statements of Sheikh Rashid and Rashid Shafiq, the complainant said that the incident took place under a premeditated conspiracy. Apart from this FIR, similar applications for registration of cases have also been filed at other police stations of the city on which legal action is being taken.

An application for registration of a case against Imran Khan and Sheikh Rashid has also been submitted at the Margalla police station in the federal capital. Meanwhile, another case was registered in Islamabad against Imran Khan and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid over the Masjid-e-Nabavi incident.

Qazi Muhammad Tariq, advocate, has got a case registered at the New Airport Police Station on the matter of desecration of Masjid-e-Nabavi by inappropriate behaviour and chanting slogans on the premises of the holy place.

In addition, former prime minister Imran Khan, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Fawad Chaudhry, Shahbaz Gill and Murad Saeed have been named in the case.

As per the lawsuit, a group of miscreants was sent to Saudi Arabia adding that the second group from Britain headed by Sahibzada Jahangir and Aneel Mussarat, Nabeel Mussarat, Rana Abdul Sattar, Amir Ilyass, Ejazul Haq and Gohar Jilani came there for hooliganism.

The case further stated that the incident that took place in Masjid-e-Nabavi hurt the feelings of the Muslims at large. Earlier, a local court granted one-day remand of Sheikh Rashid Shafiq to the police.

Police had earlier produced Rashid Shafiq in the court of duty judge Mushtaq Janjua in Attock. Sheikh Rashid Shafiq was arrested from the Islamabad airport by a team of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Shafiq was arrested as soon as he returned after performing Umrah. He was nominated in a case filed against the PTI leaders in Faisalabad. On the other hand, PTI workers staged a protest outside the local court against the arrest.

Rashid Shafiq made a video of the incident and posted it on the social media. In the video, he termed Imran Khan a victor in the situation. Sheikh Rashid, while commenting on the matter, said that he, along with Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry and others, were also booked in the case in which his nephew had been arrested by the FIA. “The government is resorting to vengeance and they will arrest the PTI leaders ahead of Imran Khan’s long march on Islamabad at the end of May,” he said.

Meanwhile, a law enforcement agency raided the media centre of former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in connection with the PTI workers’ sloganeering at Masjid-e-Nabavi against the visiting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation.

Reportedly, the media centre of former interior minister situated in a house in Sector F-7/4 was raided by a law enforcement agency on Saturday night. Sh Rashid confirmed the news that his media centre was swooped. “Last night officials of a law enforcement agency raided my media centre but they left without making any arrest,” Sh Rashid added.

PTI leader Fawad Hussain Chaudhry said in his tweet that Marriyum Aurangzeb is of the view that Masjid-e-Nabavi incident happened at the behest of PTI, which was completely wrong. He said that they should visit Raja Bazaar, Rawalpindi, on Chaand Raat to know how much respect they have among the masses. He said that it was absurd to say that the incident was triggered by someone, rather they should know the reality.

However, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah vowed that former prime minister Imran Khan will be arrested in the case relating to hooliganism and sloganeering against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation visiting Masjid-e-Nabavi earlier this week. In a statement, Sanaullah dubbed Imran Khan a “fitna” and added, “They will not be forgiven at all for what they have done. Imran Khan will be arrested definitely.”

Referring to the FIR registered against almost 150 people, including Imran Khan, the minister said that there is no justification for not filing a case against those who violated the sanctity of Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH). The government will not create any obstacle if any citizen comes forward and seeks action in this regard, he added. The incident relating to the harassment of PMLN leaders at the holy mosque was pre-planned, he said, adding that people were provoked to do this.

As per the planning, a group of people headed by Aneel Mussarat and Sahibzada Jahangir arrived in Saudi Arabia from the UK for hooliganism at the Masjid-e-Nabavi, he said. “This man [Imran Khan] is bent upon misleading the new generation,” he said.

Talking about the plot behind the incident, the minister asked, “Is there any need for proof after Sheikh Rashid's press conference?”

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said the sloganeering and abuse at Masjid-e-Nabavi (SAW) was all planned by Imran Khan and she witnessed the entire orchestration of this heinous act with her own eyes. In a media briefing at the Press Information Department, Marriyum slammed Imran Khan for lying that he had nothing to do with it.

Imran claimed to be an advocate of the Riyasat-e-Madina but he exported the filth of his dirty politics to the real Riyasat-e-Madina by inciting violence in the holy city, she said and added this was all an organised activity.

The minister said regardless of who she was, Imran incited abuse and cussing on a woman inside Masjid-e-Nabavi (SAW). But all that had now backfired.

She said she had witnessed it herself how it was being orchestrated and carried out like a meticulously planned activity where those individuals were signaling to one another who to abuse, who to harass, and coordinating slogan-chanting, at a place where even speaking in slightly loud voice was strictly prohibited by the Almighty.

Imran, she said, was blatantly lying that he had nothing to do with any of this. This was all planned by Imran, people were appointed at different sections of the mosque to incite slogan-chanting and abuse, she stressed.