PTI protests escalate across country

Police resort to heavy tear gas shelling at Rawalpindi’s Faizabad interchange

RAWALPINDI/LAHORE:

Workers and supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continued their protest against the assassination attempt on Imran Khan in various cities and towns of the country.

According to a Punjab government report, the PTI workers, on the call of the party chairman, were holding protests at 32 places across the province, including six in the provincial capital Lahore.

Meanwhile, violence erupted at the Faizabad Interchange in Rawalpindi. The PTI workers blocked the traffic coming from Faizabad. They also raised slogans against the government.

All business centres near Faizabad were closed. Former National Assembly Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, former provincial minister Raja Rashid Hafeez also joined the protesters.

PTI workers tried to vandalise a petrol pump in Faizabad but the security guards of the petrol pump stopped them. When the situation became tense, the Islamabad police resorted to heavy tear gas shelling.

PTI workers also burnt tyres and blocked the road to Rawat. The protesters also moved to the Murree road. The Islamabad police prevented the protesters from entering the federal capital.

A protest was held in the Liberty Chowk in Lahore, where PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Shafqat Mahmood, Yasmin Rashid, Musarrat Cheema and Murad Ras were also present.

Addressing the protesters, PTI Vice Chairman Qureshi raised the question as to why the first information report (FIR) of Wazirabad attack was not registered so far.

“It is the duty of the police to register FIR of an incident on the request of the complainant,” he said, adding that if the FIR was not registered, “we will go to the people’s court” to seek justice.

The PTI vice chairman also spoke about the ordeal of PTI Senator Azam Swati, saying that what happened to Swati, was unprecedented in the country’s political history.

On the occasion, PTI General Secretary Asad Umar said that a conspiracy was hatched to kill Kaptaan. “It was a conspiracy against Kaptaan and Pakistan. We will lodge the FIR, let’s see who stops us.”

Umar said that no single organisation had a monopoly over patriotism. “The entire nation is patriotic. Imran Khan did not accuse any institution. Imran Khan says we have to defend the institutions in front of the world,” he added.

Umar noted that there could be black sheep in any institution, therefore, the attack on Imran must be investigated. He also expressed sorrow over the ordeal of Swati and urged the chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of it.

Senior PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood said that the attack on Imran was a conspiracy in which more than one assailants were involved. However, he regretted that the FIR was not lodged despite the lapse to 48 hours.

Punjab Government Spokesperson Musarrat Cheema said that it was the saddest day in the history of Pakistan and “we will remember the way Azam Swati gave a press conference with tears in his eyes.

The Lahore police said that roads to and from Thokar Niaz bag, Lahore Ring Road, the Abdullah Gul Interchange, Shahdara Chowk, Shanghai Bridge, Babu Sabu and Faisal Chowk are blocked by the protesters.

According to the official report, the protests were ongoing in Gujranwala, Gujrat, at eight places in Rawalpindi, at four places in Attock, and at least at three places in Jhelum.