A fresh First Information Report (FIR) (FIR) was lodged against two jailed leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) including Yasmin Rashid and Omar Sarfaraz Cheema for their alleged involvement in an attack on the Prime Minister’s House in Lahore.
They were already in the jail for their alleged involvement in the May 9 mayhem which created a major divide between the PTI and the Establishment for burning of sensitive installations and defiling of martyrs memorials.
During the time of the May 9 violence, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif was the premier, and his Model Town residence was designated as the Prime Minister’s House.
The PTI leaders, Yasmin and Cheema, were brought before an anti-terrorism court in Lahore today and subsequently remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
While the former premier Imran Khan was released a few days later, numerous PTI workers and top-tier leadership members were apprehended and continue to face serious charges in court proceedings.
In court today, the police submitted a supplementary statement outlining fresh charges against Yasmin and Cheema.
According to the statement, the supervision officer at the Prime Minister’s House in Lahore claimed that on May 9, a group of PTI supporters, led by Hammad Azhar, Jamshed Iqbal, Musarrat Iqbal, Yasmin, Cheema, and others, allegedly attacked the PM House.
The officer reported that around 800-900 PTI supporters, armed with clubs and stones, attempted to breach the PM House gate, incited by party leaders making inflammatory speeches against state institutions. The PTI workers allegedly threatened the PM House staff and attempted to start a fire on the premises.
Charges including obstructing public servants, criminal intimidation, rioting, and terrorism charges were invoked against Yasmin and Cheema. The police sought a 30-day physical remand to collect corroborative evidence, but the court rejected the request, citing a lack of evidence of weapons or potential recoveries from the accused.
Consequently, the PTI leaders were placed on a 14-day judicial remand, with a directive for the police to present them in court on Dec 4 along with the case challan.
Last week, Yasmin Rashid expressed her intention to contest elections against PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, asserting her constitutional right to participate in the electoral process.
