SARGODHA: The District Bar Association (DBA) observed a complete strike and staged a rally against the Punjab Food Authority (PFA), demanding immediate cancellation of a case registered against the DBA president and sought the transfer of the complaining PFA officer.
The lawyers claimed the PFA was engaged in corrupt practices and registered a false FIR with the Factory Area police station.
The FIR accuses DBA President Rameez Farooq and others of snatching two mobile phones including an iPhone manhandling a female PFA officer, and obstructing official duties.
According to PFA sources, a food safety team was inspecting a sweet shop in the Istaglalabad Colony area.
When the team imposed a Rs15,000 fine for selling expired items, shop-keeper Hamza Iqbal reportedly called the DBA president for assistance.
The PFA team alleged that upon arrival, Farooq and his associates harassed female team members, threatened them with serious consequences, and subjected them to physical torture.
The team further claimed they were locked inside the shop and held in unlawful custody, and that the suspects fled the scene when the police arrived.
Following a complaint filed by PFA Officer Aqsa Nasir, the Factory Area police registered a case against shopkeeper Hamza Iqbal, lawyer Sikandar Joya, DBA President Rameez Farooq, and two unidentified individuals.
The charges were filed under Sections 353, 186, and 354 of PPC, alongside Section 13/1 of the Punjab Food Act. Police confirmed that an investigation into the matter is currently underway.