Stung by the political campaign to oust Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s Government has ordered a crackdown on those putting up slogans against the embattled Premier on street walls across the country with an FIR lodged against five people including a 10-year-old child.
Protesters from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) have constantly raised slogans like “Go Nawaz Go” since the last two weeks.Even Sharif’s recent New York tour to address the UN General Assembly was greeted by “Go Nawaz Go” chants from the Pakistani community there embarrassing the Prime Minister and his Government.
Police on Friday registered the first FIR against five persons including a woman and a child for putting up slogans demanding Sharif’s ouster in Saddar area in Gujrat district of Punjab province, some 200 kilometres from here.According to the FIR, the five persons, including a prayer leader, a woman and her 10-year-old child, had scrawled “Go Nawaz Go” slogans on some walls and trees of the area.
“We have registered a case against those involved in wall chalking whether it is ‘Go Nawaz Go’ or any other slogan or message,”Muhammad Tayyab, a police official said.He said, “We have orders from our superiors not to spare those involved in wall chalking,” he said. To a question about booking the 10-year-old boy in the FIR, he said “he has been booked by mistake”.