Screengrab of the altercation between Habib and Islamabad Police
Police in Sheikhupura on Thursday registered a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Farrukh Habib and some other party workers for allegedly attacking law enforcement personnel when they were shifting Fawad Chaudhry from Lahore to Islamabad.
Filed by an Islamabad police official, the case has been registered under Sections 148, 149, 186, 225, 341, 353 and 395 of the Pakistan Penal Code. It alleges that Habib, accompanied by some armed suspects, attacked police officers near Kala Shah Kaku when they were transporting Fawad to Islamabad after he was arrested in a sedition case.
The complaint stresses that Habib “interfered in official affairs” and “tore uniforms of policemen,” adding that he and his accomplices had also tried to snatch government weapons and vehicle. The FIR has recommended strict legal action against Habib and his accomplices for interfering in official affairs.
On Wednesday, Habib and a group of PTI workers pursued a police van transporting Fawad to Islamabad and attempted to block their vehicles at the Lahore Toll Plaza. Videos of the altercation show Habib verbally abusing the police and demanding that Fawad be taken to Lahore High Court. When police reply in the negative, Habib attempts to block their vehicle’s movement by positioning himself in front of it and claiming that they would need to drive over his body if they wished to proceed.