Daily Times

LAHORE: Four students were taken into custody on Saturday for allegedly chanting slogans against the Prime Minister during a sporting event’s awards ceremony at the Railway Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.

The incident occurred when Railways Minister Saad Rafique was delivering a speech at the railways athletics awards ceremony when the students in the crowd started chanting ‘Go Nawaz Go’.

This allegedly angered the Pakistan Muslim League-Noon leaders and the students were arrested.

According to another student, a fellow participant of the detained students informed that the students were innocent.

He explained that when Saad Rafique was making his speech, students from schools started chanting slogans. “We are completely innocent”, he remarked.

He also revealed that the police then started beating up the team players and took them into custody, even though the players did not chant any slogans.

Arrested students include Abrar, Fatehullah, Waheed and they have been taken to Garhi Shahu police station.

Speaking on the matter, Railways DG Najam Wali stated that the students were arrested because they politicised an apolitical event.

Saad Rafique did not make a political speech yet the students tried to politicise the matter.

“We didn’t like that the slogans were being chanted,” he accepted while speaking to media.

“People came to the event to promote sports, not for politics,” he added.

PM Nawaz ordered that the arrested students should be released immediately.