Rana Mashhood, Awais Leghari, Attaullah Tarar, Saif Khokhar among those wanted by police.

LAHORE    -   While there is no punitive action forthcoming against those who attacked the then Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mohammad Mazari on April 16; but a Lahore court on Friday has issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 12 Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders for their alleged involvement in hooliganism during the chief minister’s election three months back.

 The police in its application took the plea that they were trying their best to arrest the PML-N leaders but they are deliberately not surrendering before the law. The investigation has to be conducted by forcibly arresting the culprits, police said in the application.

The court issued arrest warrants of Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Sardar Awais Leghari, prime minister’s special assistant Attaullah Tarar, Bilal Farooq Tarar, Saiful Malook Khokhar, Pir Ashraf Rasool, Mirza Jawed, Pir Khizer Hayat, Raja Sagheer Ahmed, Abdul Rauf, Bilal Farooq and Rana Mannan Khan.

Following issuance of arrest warrants, the police raided the residences of Rana Mashhood and a few others, but they were not present. Meanwhile, the PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz condemned the provincial government’s action, saying that such measures were reflective of dictatorial thinking of the present regime.

A complete mayhem broke out in Punjab Assembly on April 16 this year the moment the then Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mohammad Mazari entered the House to conduct election of Punjab Chief Minister on the orders of the Lahore High Court.

A group of unruly PTI and PML-Q legislators rushed towards the deputy speaker as soon as he sat on the chair to conduct the polling. While some of them threw plastic lotas at Dost Mazari, others assaulted him in a ruthless manner. He was dragged by his hair and thrashed across the head and shoulders. He was rescued by the Assembly staff and taken to his chamber.

As the deputy speaker was forced to leave his chair, victory celebrations by the PTI and PML-Q legislators broke out in the House. Many shouted slogans and made victory signs.

As if it was not enough, the violent MPAs turned to the furniture and articles lying on the table. They damaged the speaker’s chair, a side table, microphone, and threw around the files and other papers in a token of victory celebrations which continued for around four hours.

In the meanwhile, a bunch of women members belonging to the two parties occupied the speaker’s podium and sat over it for hours shouting slogans and hurling lotas in hands. Senior PML-Q and PTI leaders were seen leading from behind while putting others in front during this episode.

The PML-N and the PPP members sat motionless during this high drama. Since it was mandatory to hold polling to elect a new chief minister on the court orders, the deputy speaker called police inside the Assembly to restore order in the House. The PTI and the PML-Q lawmakers did not spare even the policemen who offered little or no resistance. Women members thrashed a few cops and sent them packing with great ease.

A fresh contingent of police was then brought to the House which unnerved the PTI and PML-Q members. They called in the Assembly security to confront the police.