Plan afoot to tighten noose around PTI workers ahead of march

Over 700 activists will be asked to submit affidavits stating that they will stay away from protest march

RAWALPINDI:

Rawalpindi police have thrashed out a plan to stop Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf local workers and leaders from participating in the upcoming march of the party.

Former prime minister and PTI chief Imran Khan has announced a second march on Islamabad within the next six days if the government did not announce a date for dissolving assemblies and holding the general election.

Police sources said that more than 700 PTI activists will be asked to take an oath not to participate in the upcoming march. The name of the activist who submits the affidavit to the police station concerned will be removed from the “crackdown list”.

Police sources told The Express Tribune that keeping the situation in view, it has been decided to take affidavits from more than 700 PTI workers and leaders against their participation in the upcoming march. “In this regard, instructions have been issued to SHOs of all police stations and lists of active workers have been distributed according to their addresses of residence and offices. In this context a list of 700 active PTI workers had been sent to various police stations,” the sources said.

“The SHOs will contact the PTI workers living within the limits of their respective police stations, the workers will be informed of the plan and the names of the workers submitting the affidavits to the police stations will be removed from the crackdown list,” the sources said.

The police sources said that any worker who refused to accept the offer to submit an affidavit will be arrested during the crackdown to be carried out before the start of the march and will be detained.

According to the sources, the PTI workers who submit their affidavits of non-participation in the march to the police stations would also be monitored to ensure observance of the affidavits. Legal proceedings will be initiated against the activists who will participate in the march after submitting the affidavits, the sources said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2022.