The Police on Saturday removed the anti PP150 by-poll rigging hunger strike camp established by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) at Chairing Cross in and arrested several PTI leaders and activists.
The Lahore Police stormed into the PTI camp under the guise of the violation of Section 144 as well as the defiance of the High Court’s orders that declared The Mall Road free from all sort of protests and agitations. About 23 PTI workers and leaders were arrested but later released on the Punjab Chief Minister’s directives.
According to details, the Punjab PTI announced the setting up of a hunger strike camp cum sit-in protest outside the Punjab Assembly (PA) at Chairing Cross against the alleged rigging in Saturday’s by-elections.
The protest was attended by party workers and leaders including Punjab President Ijaz Ch, Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas, Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Mian Mahmood Ur Rashid, MPA Noshen Hamid and PTI PP-150 Candidate Mahar Wajid Azeem.
The police raided the camp, uprooted it and arrested several PTI leaders and workers including female activists.
After the arrests, angry PTI workers chanted slogans against the provincial government and demanded the quick release of their arrested compatriots.
The arrested PTI workers were released on the CM’s directives. Operations DIG Rai Tahir confirmed that the order was received from the CM. “Protests like these create transport issues,” he said. To a question, he warned that the crackdown would be re-launched if the PTI workers continued their protest.
Meanwhile, DCO Naseem Sadiq said the that protest could not be held at the Mall Road due to the imposition of Section 144. According to him, the PTI workers were protesting in an area where such activities were not permitted.
Earlier PTI Chief Imran Khan strongly condemned the Punjab government’s action against the peaceful protest and hunger strike camp. He contacted Rashid via phone to express his solidarity with the protestors. “It is our democratic right to hold a protest against election rigging,” Imran said.
Rashid said that if the government wanted to start a jail bharo campaign then they (the protestors) were ready for it. He said that the PTI would continue its protest against the election rigging.
After their release, the PTI workers and leaders restarted protesting at the Mall Road. They started their protest shortly after the detained party leaders and workers were released from the police stations.
Punjab Assembly Member Mian Aslam Iqbal along with other party workers and supporters blocked the Chairing Cross and restarted the protest, but this time police did not intervene and was kept aside by the force’s high ups.
Punjab PTI President Ejaz Chaudhry called on party workers to protest outside the province’s press clubs. He said that 23 party workers were held during the crackdown at the protest camp. He said that the PTI would hold a protest demonstration against Saturday’s police action across the province.
The DIG announced that the PTI workers and leaders would be arrested again if they blocked the roads but no action was taken and the PTI workers later disbursed themselves.
