Police arrest four PML-N activists who confessed planning to target Khan on Nowshera Road
The local police foiled a plot to attack Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan with rotten eggs and tomatoes just prior to the Gujranwala show on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, television channels had reported that angry Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) activists were purchasing and gathering rotten eggs, tomatoes and shoes to hurl at the PTI Chairman.
The eggs and tomatoes were shown covered with the slogan ‘Ro Imran Ro’ (Cry Imran Cry) – the PML-N’s response to the PTI’s highly successful “Go Nawaz Go” campaign.
When the news aired, local police took action and arrested four PML-N activists who confessed that they had planned to target Khan on Nowshera Road.
The PML-N activists said Khan used derogatory language against PML-N Chairman Nawaz Sharif thus prompting the egging plot. However, the arrested suspects were reportedly freed later by their supporters.
In a separate incident, PTI workers caught PML-N activist Bilal alias Lalu Butt and handed him over to police for allegedly ruining posters of the PTI chief. Bilal claimed his innocence and said that he had only been arrested on charges of being a ‘Butt’.
Denying the allegations, PML-N parliamentarian Taufiq Butt said his party’s leadership had instructed everyone to ensure that the rally would be held peacefully.
Commenting on the alleged hooliganism by PML-N workers, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi termed the act as “negative politics” of PML-N.
Claiming that the government was creating hurdles for PTI, Qureshi said his party knew how to defend itself, adding that it was the responsibility of the government to provide security to Khan.