Police Register Murder Cases against Pakistani PM, Ministers
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Pakistani police on Monday registered cases against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, some ministers and senior police officials over the killing of three political activists in recent clashes in Islamabad.
The opposition Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party of cricketer- turned politician, Imran Khan has approached a local court in Islamabad to register the cases against the prime minister as the party claimed the government had ordered the police crackdown on the protesters.
The police have already registered murder cases against the prime minister and ministers on a separate application filed from another opposition party the Pakistan Awami Tehrik. Both parties have camped in Islamabad for weeks to press for resignation of the prime minister.
A court in Islamabad on Saturday ordered registration of cases against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ministers and senior police officials over the killing on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. Others who had been named in the case include the interior minister, the defence minister, the railways minister, chief commissioner in Islamabad, the police chief in Islamabad, Chief Minister of Punjab province Shahbaz Sharif, the brother of the prime minister.
Clashes erupted between the demonstrators and the riot police when the protesters tried to march to the Prime Minister's House, Xinhua reported.
At least three protesters were killed and some 500 people, including dozens of police men, were injured in the clashes. The police had fired rubber bullets to stop protesters from storming the parliament and Prime Minister's houses.
The Islamabad police have earlier told the court that the prime minister and other people mentioned in the application had nothing to do with the police action and that there had been no evidence about their involvement in the incident.
The opposition parties claimed in their petitions that the police had "opened direct firing on the demonstrators and also used expired tear gas."
It is the third time courts have ordered registration of murder cases against the prime minister and several other ministers.
A court has also ordered registration of murder case against the prime minister and 20 more people over the killing of a dozen of PAT activists in the eastern city of Lahore in June.
