RAHIM YAR KHAN-Political rivalry between two Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz factions resulted in the registration of cases against each other Saturday night and panic spread through the town as a result.
According to sources, the quarrel started when PML-N MNA Mian Imtiaz Ahmed visited the Channab Commercial Centre of District Council Vice Chairman Naeem Shafiq in front of Uni Lever factory along with the officials of Sui Northern Gas Pipe Lines (SNGPL) and Pakistan Railways (PR) Saturday night without informing the owners for laying a gas pipeline.
When Naeem Shafiq and his father Chaudhary Shafiq came to know that the MNA with the federal government officials was at their commercial site, they immediately reached there and allegedly slapped the MNA and his driver who later escaped from the scene and reached police station city A division for registration of a case.
The police initially refused to register the case but the MNA’s brother Haji Ibrahim and his dozens of supporters reached the police station and pressurised it, the police registered an FIR 316/17 Under Section 506/B,148 and 149 of PPC against Chaudhary Shafiq, Naeem Shafiq and five unidentified persons after the struggle of three hours.
Mian Imtiaz told reporters that he was visiting the road near Uni Lever Railway Underpass for the a survey of gas pipeline when Chaudhary Shafiq and Naeem Shafiq attacked him. He said that he was on the visit to the area for the interest of public. He said that the opponents could not stop him from the public welfare work.
On the other hand, dozens of supporters of Chaudhary Shafiq including district president PPP and former MNA Javed Iqbal Warriach, district president PML-N Khalid Shaheen and Chaudhary Akmal Kaloo arrived at his residence at Club Road.
Shafiq told journalists that the MNA and the Municipal Committee (MC) chairman were his political opponents. When his group defeated them in the elections of local bodies, new grain market and RYKCCI, they developed grudge against him. He alleged that last Wednesday, they cancelled the approved map of his Channab Commercial Centre through MC staff. He said that now the MNA wants to lay the gas pipeline through his centre due to which he went there at night. And when the MNA knew that he was his political opponent, why he entered his property, he said.
He criticised the SNGPL and PR officials who did not inform him about the visit. He said that he had the actual right to register an FIR against the MNA because he entered on his property and submitted his application in police station for the purpose.the PML-N district president said that the MNA had started taking actions against the party leaders. He said that it was also SNGPL and PR survey team’s mistake that they did not inform the owners of land where they were going.
Confrontation with everyone will damage the party image,he said. SNGPL in charge Jam Mushtaq also filed an application against Chaudhary Shafiq for interfering the official matters but the police rejected on the plea that he did not inform police or authorities about the survey.
When contacted, SNGPL district in charge Jam Mushtaq said that it was the duty of MNA to inform the authorities and police about the survey in advnce; he only obey the order of parliamentarian. He denied about any application filed in police station.PR Divisional Engineer Sajid Channa did not commented on the issue.