Angry PTI supporters take to streets

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters took to streets in protest hours after the assassination attempt on the party Chairman Imran Khan on day 7 of the long march in Wazirabad on Thursday.

Angry protesters attacked the residence of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah in his hometown of Faisalabad. Protesters also took to the streets in Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Karachi and other parts of the country.

The PTI protesters clashed with police at Faizabad Interchange in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The Islamabad police used heavy tear gas shelling to disperse the protesters, while a women was detained.

PTI workers, led by Punjab Minister Fayyaz Chauhan and National Assembly Member Sadaqat Abbasi also staged protests on Murree Road, Peshawar Road, GT Road, Kalar Saedaan Road and at other places.

The National Highways and Motorway Police said that PTI workers staged protests by burning tyres in Rawat, Gujar Khan, Suhawa, Wah Cantt and other places.

As soon as the news about the gun attack on the Imran’s convoy spread, PTI workers came out on roads in Peshawar. Some provincial ministers and assembly members also joined them.

The workers marched from Hashtnagari to the Assembly Chowk. Angry marchers also attacked a police armoured vehicle during the protest, however, traffic continued on GT Road and Khyber Road continued to ply.

Talking to reporters, provincial Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra said that those who attacked Imran Khan wanted to create chaos in the country but the PTI wanted peace.

“We did not lose patience despite the attack on Imran Khan. We have held peaceful protests and the workers have not been agitated anywhere in the country,” he added.

The minister said that the party’s real freedom movement would not stop. “The Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership has called a meeting and the future course of action will be chalked out,” he added.

Later, the ministers announced end of the protest and left the venue. However, staunch PTI workers were angry at their leaders’ decision and continued their protest in Hashtnagari.

PTI Balochistan staged demonstrations in Quetta. The protesters blocked the main Airport Road and Koaila Phatak, burning tyres and chanting full-throated slogans against the federal government.

“We want the arrest of the attackers”, Muhammad Usman, a charged PTI supporter demanded. He alleged the present government had deliberately created law and order problems for the Haqeeqi Azadi March.

“Imran Khan is our leader and we will render every kind of sacrifices for him”, said Asmat Khan, another PTI supporter. He added that Imran Khan was the most popular leader of the country.

Long queues of vehicles were witnessed on both sides of the road because of the road block, while thick black smoke bellowed from the burning tyres. Even people had to use alternative routes to reach the protest venue.

The Balochistan government had tightened security across the provincial capital and other cities. Police, levies and personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC) had been deployed on all roads of Quetta to maintain order.

A large number of PTI leaders and workers also took to the streets in Karachi to lodge their protest against the attempt to assassinate their party chief.

Charged workers blocked roads by setting tyres on fire at more than 18 places in the cirty against the firing on the Long March rally in Gujranwala that caused injuries to Imran Khan and other leaders.

Parliamentary Leader Sindh Assembly, Khurram Sher Zaman, PTI Karachi President, Bilal Ghaffar, and other leaders including Ashraf Jabbar Qureshi, Raja Azhar, Shehzad Qureshi, Subhan Sahil, Shahab Imam and Saima Nadeem were present in the protest at Clifton.