Pakistan cleric, 1,400 backers booked for terror

Lahore: Pakistan police registered a case against a Canadian-based cleric and 1,400 of his supporters under terrorism and other charges for attacking police and damaging public property as he returned to the country to lead a “revolution” against the government. The police also arrested more than 500 supporters of Tahir-ul-Qadri.

 

Amid high drama, Qadri, 63, returned to Pakistan on Monday but his Islamabad-bound flight was diverted to Lahore amid fears of unrest in the capital as his supporters fought pitched battles with police, leaving over 70 security personnel injured. “Qadri is among the accused because he had asked PAT workers to gather and protest against the government,” Dawn quoted Musaddiq as saying.