Karachi police resort to baton charge, tear gas shelling at PTI workers.
KARACHI/Lahore/Peshawar -Police on Friday arrested dozens of workers and leaders of the PTI across country for violating Section 144 by staging rallies in different cities, demanding release of party founder Imran Khan and opposing the proposed 26th constitutional amendment , according to police and party officials.
The protests were held in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Sahiwal and other major cities. In Rawalpindi, police contingents led by Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Kamran Asghar conducted a flag march amid PTI’s call for protest. Personnel from police, elite force, Dolphin Force, and traffic department took part in the flag march.
Meanwhile, more than 3,000 officials were deployed across the city. Security officials also arrested some PTI workers in different cities as three women workers were arrested in Lahore while 10 more activists were arrested from Rawalpindi’s Dhoke Khabba who were gathering to hold demonstrations. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital Peshawar, PTI workers organised a protest outside the press club and shouted slogans against the proposed constitutional amendment. They also alleged that former premier Khan was illegally imprisoned by the incumbent government and demanded that “maltreatment” with the party founder should be stopped in jail. The PTI’s lawyer forum held a demonstration in Gujranwala against the proposed judicial package in the premises of a district and sessions court. In Faisalabad, police blocked roads via trucks for traffic to eight central markets at Clock Tower roundabout. Additionally, containers were also placed on different localities at GT Road’s Gondlanwala Chowk, Sheikhupura Morr, and Sheranwala Bagh. The blockage of GT Road from different spots caused traffic jam in the city, making it difficult for commuters to reach their destinations.
In Sahiwal, police arrested PTI’s former MPA Rana Aftab and district president along with nine workers for organising a protest at Bhandari Chowk in violation of Section 144. Section 144 is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period. “The police have arrested a total of 35 workers of both parties, including the leader of a religious party as both parties violated section 144,” South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza. In Karachi, PTI workers and leaders gathered at Empress Market after Friday prayers, despite Commissioner imposing Section 144. DIG Raza told media that the police detained 15 PTI workers, including PTI’s Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh. Meanwhile, a press release issued by the PTI’s media cell said that party supporters held a peaceful protest at Empress Market “calling for the release of party leader Imran Khan, judicial independence, and against unconstitutional amendments”. “However, police responded with unprovoked violence, using excessive force, including severe tear gas shelling, which caused hundreds of participants, including women, to faint,” the press release alleged. The statement added that police led a baton charge on the protesters and “arrested more than 20 PTI leaders, including MPA Rehan Bandokda, PTI Karachi Minority Wing President Suleman Kanwal, and Youth Leader Meraj Shah”.
The statement added that Sheikh strongly condemned the police crackdown, stating, “Today’s protest at Empress Market was peaceful, yet the authorities unleashed brutal tear gas shelling and violence, particularly targeting women. We categorically condemn this aggression.” Sheikh also expressed concern over the increasing restrictions on freedoms. “It is telling of our times when, instead of addressing the media, we now face tear gas shells. A media blackout is being imposed,” the statement quoted him as saying. “The Sindh government has once again shown its fascist and oppressive face,” Sheikh said, “However, these tear gas shells will not deter us, as the entire nation stands firmly behind Imran Khan.” Other PTI leaders, including Karachi Senior Vice President Jafar ul-Hassan and Sindh Spokesperson Muhammad Ali Baloch, criticised the police’s intervention and use of tear gas to disperse the protesters in the press release. Footage circulating on social media showed clouds of tear gas and riot police in the Saddar area.
