——– In Karachi, over 50 party workers were taken into custody by police from Clifton area
——– Police say party failed to seek permission for rallies as required by election comission’s code of conduct
——– PTI workers clash with Police at Teen Talwar amidst arrests
——– Clashes also injured several Police officers and media personnel
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: In an attempt to hold rallies in various cities, including Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists, following the instructions of party’s founder Imran Khan, faced a crackdown by the police, resulting in multiple arrests.
According to details, the police conducted raids in Rawalpindi’s Jatli area, arresting at least 10 PTI workers.
In Rawalpindi’s NA-56 constituency, PTI activists took out a rally that concluded on Saeedpur Road amid tight security. The participants raised slogans against the government and displayed PTI flags along with images of Imran Khan.
A similar scenario unfolded in Peshawar, where a rally was halted by the police on Ring Road. Clashes erupted between the police and PTI workers, leading to several arrests.
According to the police, PTI activists were not granted permission for the rally, and anyone found on the road without obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) would be arrested. In Karachi, PTI organised a rally in the Clifton area, where the police took more than 50 activists into custody. In NA-119 Lahore, a rally led by PTI-supported candidate Mian Shahzad Farooq witnessed massive participation of people.
In another post on PTI’s Lahore social media platform X, multiple videos showed a large number of people coming out in support of the party. “Rallies are being held everywhere. Despite police brutality, no one will be able to save the runaway Nawaz on February 8.” said a tweet
Earlier in the day, former federal minister and PTI leader Hammad Azhar said that his elderly father, former Punjab governor Mian Azhar was “arrested” by the police prior to an election rally.
In a post on social media platform X, Hammad said that his 82-year-old father, an independent candidate supported by PTI running for the NA-129 constituency, intended to “exercise his democratic and constitutional right by leading a rally”.
“Pakistan has today been reduced to a total fascist state with zero human rights or rule of law. One Nawaz Sharif & his daughter calling the shots and ruining the country.”
Earlier this week, PTI’s founder, Imran Khan, directed all PTI candidates for national and provincial assemblies in Lahore to participate in a power show today.
PTI announced its intention to conduct public rallies nationwide in a lead-up to the Feb 8 general elections.
As the elections approach near, the party encounters significant obstacles due to an apparent rise in authoritative actions by the state apparatus, particularly in Punjab, the nation’s largest province.
Facing a lack of equitable opportunities, PTI has resorted to an innovative approach, utilising the internet and social media for their election campaign.
Following an unsuccessful legal battle to protect its iconic election symbol “bat,” the party has sequentially launched websites to assist voters in identifying PTI-backed candidates and their respective symbols.
This is PTI’s first major countrywide power show after the May 9 protests
The party found itself in hot water following the events of May 9, when in an unprecedented show of vandalism, protesters allegedly belonging to the PTI, vandalised public and state properties and even attacked the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and Lahore’s Jinnah House, where the corps commander was residing.
The attacks occurred hours after the paramilitary Rangers arrested the PTI chief in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case – later retitled as the £190 million scandal – on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), from the Islamabad High Court premises.
The rioting was followed by a harsh crackdown against the former ruling party leaders and activists.
