Islamabad: The Islamabad police have registered a case against over 6,000 protesters from the Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz-i-Nabuwat group who breached the Red Zone on Sunday.
The FIR, lodged at the Secretariat police station following a police official’s complaint, cites violations under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Charges include section 7 (terrorism), section 11-W (incitement to hatred), section 11-X (civil commotion), along with sections 395 (dacoity), 148 (armed rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing a public servant), 188 (disobedience to lawful orders), 353 (assaulting a public servant), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 427 (mischief causing damage), in addition to sections 2/3 of the Amplifier Act.
The FIR names seven individuals while identifying 5,000 to 6,000 others as unnamed participants. It details how the protesters, led by Qazi Abdul Rasheed, assembled at Express Chowk, armed with weapons and batons, blocking major roads and setting up a stage despite warnings about Section 144 and a ban on Red Zone protests.
The demonstrators, who did not obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC), delivered provocative speeches using loudspeakers and demanded the resignation of the chief justice or government action against him. As they marched toward the Supreme Court, they clashed with police, damaging property, and assaulting officers, leading to injuries and the temporary hostage of a police constable. The police deployed teargas but were only able to stop the protesters at the National Assembly gate, where they eventually dispersed.
