Pindi cops start clearing roads

Also stop arresting PTI workers after PTI chief calls off sit- in, court issues directions

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court here on Tuesday asked the city police not to arrest workers of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and to remove all barricades from Rawalpindi roads while hearing two petitions against the imposition of Section 144 and roadblocks.

LHC Rawalpindi bench Justice Atir Mahmood directed CPO Israr Ahmed Abbasi and District Coordination Officer Talat Mahmood Gondal not to arrest the PTI workers and start removing the blockades.

The court adjourned the hearing for Wednesday after Additional Advocate General AAG Rashid Hafeez argued that an identical issue was pending before a full LHC bench in Lahore and propriety demanded that Justice Atir needed to wait for a decision from the full bench.

Responding to a court query on the arrest of PTI workers and roadblocks, the AAG maintained that under the Police Order 2002, law enforcement could block roads to maintain order. He further said that the DCO imposed Section 144 to maintain peace in the city, and PTI workers were arrested for violating the ban on public gatherings. He said that the arrested workers had to obtain bail from relevant courts.

The court was hearing two identical petitions – one filed by Sheikh Athar Jamil, a resident of Khyaban-e-Sir Syed, challenging the police actions against protesters, and another filed by Advocate Umair Tanveer Butt, a PTI activist, asking the court to stop the police from blocking roads, arresting PTI workers, and harassing them.

Meanwhile, 20 arrested PTI workers obtained bail from two separate courts.

In the first case, four men were arrested by the Airport police and they were produced before Magistrate Waqar Mansoor Baryar, who granted them bail against surety bonds.

In another case, the Saddar Beruni police produced 14 and Ganjmandi police produced two arrested men before Magistrate Jahanzeb Amman Hafeez. The court granted all of them bail on personal surety bonds.

The city police continued raiding the houses of local PTI leaders till Imran Khan announced the postponement of the planned protest.

Following the postponement announcement of the sit-in, the police started removing blockades from roads and stopped raiding the houses of PTI leaders.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2016.