LAHORE: Police on Tuesday arrested PML-N MNA Javed Latif after dismissal of his interim pre-arrest bail by a sessions court in a case of inciting people against the state institutions.
Javed Latif had left the court after an Additional District & Sessions Judge reserved his verdict.
As the judge announced the verdict, a police team intercepted and arrested Javed Latif near a flower market on his way back to Sheikhupura.
Javed Latif in his video message at the time of his arrest owned his words and said the policy of “smashing” opponents should be stopped to make the country prosperous. He said it was unfortunate that elected representatives of the masses had been declared “traitors” only for pointing out mistakes in the country.
Javed Latif further said the police did not even wait for the court’s order and intercepted him on the road for his arrest. He accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of using the state institutions to crush the opposition.
He questioned the impartiality of the institutions and wondered how the PM promised justice for Jahangir Khan Tareen, in the cases registered by the FIA.
Earlier, counsel of Javed Latif argued before the court that the FIR was baseless and a result of political victimization. He said police was not competent to take cognizance of the alleged offence mentioned in the FIR.
On a question of the counsel, the judge asked the police officials in civvies as to why they were present in the court without being summoned. A personnel who introduced himself as a DSP of the CIA said they came to complete the investigation from the MNA.
The counsel asked the court to confirm the pre-arrest bail of Javed Latif as he undertook to join the investigation.
A prosecutor however opposed the bail and argued that the MNA crossed constitutional limits in the love of his party’s leader. He said the accused was not entitled to bail at this stage of the case.
A counsel for the complainant argued that the MNA threatened the state and the complainant had every right to seek legal action against the objectionable statement.
Township police had registered the FIR on complaint of citizen Jameel Saleem under sections 120/120B, 153/153A, 500, 505(i)(B) and 506 of Pakistan Penal Code. The sections deal with the offences of causing incitement against the state institutions.
In a television programme, Javed Latif had said his party would not say “Pakistan Khappay” (long live Pakistan) if anything happened to party vice president Maryam Nawaz. The court had granted interim pre-arrest bail to Javed Latif on March 22.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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