2 held for printing ‘anti-govt’ handbills

Staff Report

LAHORE: The Lorry Adda Police has arrested two men for allegedly printing anti-Musharraf and anti-Wana operation handbills and pamphlets to provoke the public.

The police arrested Abdul Wajid and Bilal Saleem who were planning to distribute the handbills and pamphlets. The police found millions of such handbills and pamphlets, with text and slogans against the Musharraf government and the Wana operation printed on them, and registered a case against them.

Police sources said the accused were handed over to an intelligence agency for investigations. However, the sources added, during initial investigations the accused revealed the names of some prominent personalities, allegedly involved in the crime.

According to the sources, Wajid of Tajpura Scheme and Saleem of the Saddar area were printing the literature on two presses in the Badami Bagh area which they said were to be distributed throughout Pakistan today (Friday), especially after the Friday congregations.

The sources said the police had sealed the printing presses and were conducting raids to arrest suspected men involved in the crime.

However, according to a press release issued by the Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) in Lahore on Thursday, “On March 23, in the Minar-e-Pakistan area, Wajid Siddique and Saleem Jigranvi were arrested while distributing leaflets that criticised the Wana operations. The men were not only charged with 16 MPO but were subjected to physical torture. The government on the one hand, bombs innocent children and on the other tries to crush any voice that rose against such an operation. However, the slaves of the West are unaware of the fact that whenever anybody tries to suppress the truth, it spreads even faster.

“We challenge the government to counter our intellectual struggle with a better thought, rather than violence and extremism. Rulers who do not even have the courage to face criticism are preaching Muslims to remain silent and indifferent to the oppression committed by infidels. Muslims should uproot these ‘watchmen’ of infidels, and establish a caliphate, and thus liberate themselves from the humiliating slavery of imperialist forces.”

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