LAHORE – Police thrashed activists of the outlawed Hizbut Tahrir and arrested around 16 of them in order stop them from holding a protest at Qartaba Chowk on Sunday. A deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and Civil Lines Police Station house officer were also injured when Hizbut Tahrir workers retaliated in order to avoid arrests.
According to details, around 100 activists of the outlawed organisation tried to stage a protest at Qartaba Chowk but heavy police contingents were deployed in the area. Party workers carrying flags reached Ferozepur Road and started marching towards Qartaba Chowk from LOS Stop. The protestors were carrying banners against the US and federal government on which police cordoned off the area in order to arrest them on which they retaliated and injured Lytton Road Circle DSP Atif Hayat and Lytton Road SHO Sheikh Khalid Farooq.
On this, the policemen got infuriated and badly thrashed the activists of the banned organisation and arrested around 16 of them. Civil Lines Superintendent of Police (SP) Umer Saeed told Pakistan Today that they have arrested 16 men. He said that police received a complaint against activists of the banned outfit but will register cases against them under different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Faisal Ali Rana said that the Punjab government has imposed a ban on the aforesaid organisation and police could not allow them to stage a protest on any road of the provincial capital. The Hizbut Tahrir spokesman, in a press release, said that they remained successful in presenting their point of view.
He said that they were going to stage a peaceful protest to support caliphate against democracy. The spokesman said that they were protesting to remove the rulers, who are closer and loyal to the US compared to Islam and Pakistan.
