Imran calls off Lahore rally after crackdown, as govt wants to spread chaos to avoid polls

LAHORE, March 8 (SABAH): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan lashed out at the provincial police for brutality and murdering the party worker Ali Bilal and vowed that they would file cases against IG, CCPO and others for the murder.

In a strong reaction to the murder of the PTI worker, PTI Chairman said: “Ali Bilal unarmed, our dedicated and passionate PTI worker murdered by Punjab police.” “Shameful, this brutality on unarmed PTI workers who were coming to attend election rally. Pakistan is in the grip of murderous criminals. We will file cases against IG, CCPO and others for murder,” he added.

Sharing his video, Imran Khan said: “This video clearly shows that Ali Bilal, also affectionately called Zille Shah, was alive when taken to police station. So he was killed while in police custody –   such is the murderous bent of the present regime and Punjab police.” Ali Bilal aka Zille Shah participated in the PTI’s rally on Wednesday. In a clash with the police, he was hit by a baton on the head.

Earlier, PTI Chairman, during his address to the nation, after the crackdown on party workers, announced: “Stop everything. We are not taking out the rally that we were supposed to as, I am saddened to say, that all the moves the government are making are aimed at running away from elections. “They are trying to ensure that chaos spreads and that is why I’m saying to my workers to finish it, we will not carry out the rally,” he said.

PTI Chairman said that the imported government had launched a crackdown on PTI workers not for the sake of law and order but in an effort to avoid conducting elections in the province. “We cannot give the government any excuse to delay the elections,” the PTI Chairman, calling on party workers to return to their homes. “They picked up and took away our people today as well around 100 workers for what reason?” he asked.

The PTI chairman said that his party had launched its election campaign with hardly 55 days left for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Under what law and in brazen contempt of the Supreme Court, the Punjab caretaker government uses massive police violence against unarmed workers to stop our planned rally?” he asked.

“The only job of caretakers is to ensure fair and free elections. What they are doing is an assault on rule of law, our Constitution and democracy. Above all, once the Supreme Court ruling is defied, it is now law of the jungle,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that scores of the PTI workers including women gathered for PTI’s election campaign rally have been arrested, harassed and intimidated who were participating peacefully in the rally.

The Police have resorted to use massive tear gas and also used water cannons to disperse the peaceful PTI workers, resultant in a death of one of the PTI worker. Police officials also smashed the windows of the cars of the participants of the rally to spread fear and panic among the PTI workers. However, they remained disciplined despite all the barbarity and brutality unleashed by the Punjab police.