Senate opposition leader files privilege motion against Bhara Kahu SHO

ISLAMABAD – Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas on Tuesday submitted a privilege motion in the Senate against the station house officer (SHO) of Bhara Kahu police station, alleging that the police official treated him disrespectfully and obstructed him from reaching his residence. The motion follows an incident when a delegation of opposition leaders was stopped by Islamabad police while travelling to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The delegation, led by National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai and comprising former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and other opposition figures, intended to visit Rawalakot to express solidarity with protesters participating in a sit-in. According to the privilege motion, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said Bhara Kahu SHO Sub-Inspector Naeemul Hassan stopped his vehicle at a checkpoint while he was on his way to his residence. The senator stated that despite identifying himself as a member of Parliament and informing the police that his residence was only about two kilometres from the checkpoint, he was not allowed to proceed. He further alleged that the SHO and accompanying police personnel behaved in an insulting and discourteous manner, ignoring the respect and protocol due to an elected member of the Senate. In the motion, Abbas argued that preventing him from reaching his residence and the alleged conduct of the police amounted to interference in the performance of his parliamentary duties and constituted a breach of the privileges of the Senate and its members. The Senate opposition leader requested that the matter be referred to the Senate Privileges Committee for investigation and sought legal as well as disciplinary action against the police officer concerned. The incident comes amid heightened political tensions after opposition leaders were prevented from travelling to AJK to meet participants of the Rawalakot protest.