Former interior minister Sheikh Rashid’s nephew MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq has been arrested in connection with raising slogans at Masjid-e-Nabvi in Medinah against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Umrah entourage, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

MNA Shafiq reached Islamabad International Airport through a private airline on Sunday when the authorities rounded him up. 

A case has been registered in Faisalabad police station against the nephew of Sh Rashid for his alleged participation in the protest against the visiting PM and his companions held by the PTI people at holy Masjid-e-Nabvi. 

The plain-clothed FIA officials detained Mr Shafiq as soon as he reached the Islamabad Airport. Sources divulged that Rashid Shafiq later was shifted to Airport Police Station in Attock. Shafiq was handed over to the police on one-day transit remand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heHdTFk1PF0

Sh Rashid condemned his nephew’s arrest saying the government had indulged in political victimization. He rued that after registering cases, the authorities were conducting house raids.

The former interior minister reiterated that ‘wherever these people (rulers) go, they will be hounded and slogans will be raised against them’. 

He claimed that at the behest of government, the authorities were going to arrest plenty of PTI people. “The country is descending to revenge politics,” he said adding that cases were registered against him, Imran Khan and Fawad Chaudhry, though none of them was present in Saudi Arabia.

FIR lodged against Imran Khan, party bigwigs, others

Meanwhile, a First Information Report was registered on Sunday against 15 nominated PTI stalwarts including its Chief Imran Khan, Sh Rashid, Shehbaz Gill, Qasim Suri, Anil Musarrat, Ijazul Haq and 100 other unknown persons. 

The case was registered on the complaint of a citizen, Muhammad Naeem in Medina Town, Faisalabad. 

According to the FIR, the people of a political party chanted slogans against the Pakistani delegation at the premises of Masjid-e-Nabvi thus committing desecration of the holy place and tarnished the image of Islam.  

The FIR further said that the accused not only desecrated the holy place by raising slogans there, but also shared videos of this despicable incident on the social media in a triumphant mood. The despoilers had full support of their party to desecrate the holy mosque, the FIR concluded.  

Another application submitted against Sh Rashid at Islamabad police station

Another application was submitted in Margalla Police Station in Islamabad seeking registration of case against Sheikh Rashid for instigating PTI workers during his April 27 new conference.

The applicant claimed that the whole plan for Masjid-e-Nabvi protest was hatched in Pakistan and Sheikh Rashid was responsible for desecration of the holy mosque.

The application was filed by citizen Muhammad Naveed Bhatti.

 Reporters Usman Javed Malik, Tayyab Maqbool and Farzana Siddique