Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawyers on Friday protested against the arrest of party workers ahead of Islamabad’s November 2 lockdown by taking to the streets of Lahore.
The lawyers blocked Mall Road and burnt tyres obstructing the flow of traffic. A video showed PTI lawyer Advocate Shahid Naseem Gondal slapping a man travelling with two children on a motorcycle on Lahore’s Mall Road.
According to initial reports, the lawyers also harassed other motorists who did not adhere to their instructions to take a different route.
Opposition leader Imran called for nationwide protests on Friday after dozens of activists from his party were arrested, adding to political deadlock ahead of his plans to shut down the capital next week.
Police on Thursday swooped on an indoor youth rally by Imran’s party in Islamabad, beating activists with batons and detaining 38 people.
Police said the rally contravened a city order issued hours earlier to ban all public gatherings in the capital ahead of next week’s protests.
“Police manhandled our women and our boys. Because of that, Imran Khan has called for nationwide protests,” a spokesperson from PTI’s media team said.
