Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers stage countrywide protest against attack on Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/KARACHI, Oct 04 (SABAH): The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged countrywide protest against the attack on party Chairman Imran Khan on Friday.
The party staged protests in major cities across Pakistan including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Malakand, Rajanpur, Bahawalnagar, Muzaffargarh, and Kohat, among others.
Imran Khan’s supporters are also protesting in Rawalpindi’s Faizabad Interchange against the assassination attempt on him a day earlier.
Islamabad Police has been intermittently firing tear gas shells to disperse protestors in the area who resorted to stone-pelting on the police and Frontier Corps (FC). Meanwhile, Islamabad Police and FC have arrested several PTI workers in Islamabad. Murree Road was been closed to traffic in Rawalpindi.
Islamabad Police took to Twitter to inform the public about the situation in the twin cities. Islamabad police said that some protesters have gathered at Rawalpindi’s Faizabad area carrying sticks, slingshots and stones, adding that the presence of armed people is also suspected among these protesters. The protesters pelted riot police with stones, the police confronted protesters and fired tear gas to disperse them. Police also said that the protesters also include children and urged the public to stop their children taking part in unlawful activities.
Earlier, protesters blocked Rawalpindi’s GT Road from both sides which affected traffic in the area. After workers ended their protests in Rawat, GT Road has been cleared for traffic. PTI’s women workers, on the other hand, left after protesting at the National Press Club.
Protestors in Lahore held demonstrations against the federal government. Earlier, PTI workers and supporters vandalised public property outside the Governor House’s gate at Lahore’s Mall Road resulting in a traffic jam before ending the protest, as the police reached the spot.
Earlier, some PTI supporters jumped the Governor House’s gate while holding PTI flags in their hands and placing them on the gate, while others tried to trespass barriers placed by law enforcement.
Meanwhile, lawyers of the Insaf Lawyer’s Forum also gathered at the venue earlier.
Demonstrations affected traffic at Lahore’s Thokar Niaz Baig and Shahdara Chowk, as well as at Mall Road’s GPO intersection.
Demonstrations also held at the Maulana Zafar Ali Khan intersection in Wazirabad, where PTI workers blocked the traffic moving from Lahore to Islamabad.
In Lahore, the party’s workers and supporters were led by Senator Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry.
Karachi’s Shahrah-Faisal has been cleared for traffic following protests.
Earlier, Karachi Police baton-charged and fired tear gas shells at the protesters on the city’s crucial artery to ensure their dispersal.
PTI MPA Raja Azhar Khan sustained injuries due to the police’s baton-charge and stampede on Shahrah-e-Faisal. He vowed to move court against SSP South. “Shelling and rubber bullets cannot bring down our morale,” he added.
Police, however, said that around 300 to 500 protesters were heading toward Metropole from the Gora Qabaristan (Christian’s cemetery). The protesters did not stop despite several warnings. Finally, the police used tear gas near Jinnah Hospital Mor to disperse the protestors.
Two hours after the clashes, the police finally managed to disperse the protesters and fully restore the vehicular traffic on Shahrah-e-Faisal.
The PTI’s supporters were staging protests against the assassination attempt on Khan near Jinnah Hospital Mor. The police also took several protestors, including women into custody.
Due to the clashes, the lane between Jinnah Hospital Mor to Metropole signal has been blocked for all kinds of traffic. Another track leading from Saddar police station to the Metropole signal has also been blocked.
In Peshawar, protestors gathered at and blocked the Motorway Interchange. They are raising slogans against the federal government and in favour of Khan.
In Quetta, party workers protested at the Mannan Chowk where provincial leaders are also present.
In Hyderabad, supporters are protesting at the Haider intersection, while protesters are also gathered in Tharparkar’s Kashmir intersection.
Traffic was also closed due to protests at the Milad intersection in Lodhran.
In Gujrat, various areas were closed to traffic, while PTI workers blocked the Shaheen Bypass Road.
In Bahawalnagar, protests took place in Rafiq Shah, while in Rajanpur, supporters are conducting a sit-in at Chowk Allahabad, Rojhan, Fazilpur, and Jampur.
In Rajanpur, PTI workers blocked the Sindh-Punjab border by burning tyres, which has caused a long queue of vehicles stuck in traffic. Earlier, supporters raised slogans against the attack on their party chief in Rajanpur where they have blocked the Indus Highway.