PTI says ‘Jail Bharo’ drive starts with ex-MNA's arrest

The PTI on Wednesday announced starting its‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ (stuffing prisons through voluntary arrests campaign) on Wednesday as its former MNA Malik Amir Dogar surrendered before police in Multan following the party activists' clash with those of the PML-N outside the office the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) when the nomination papers for the NA-155 constituency were being submitted.

However, the PTI has decided that its candidates contesting in the upcoming by-elections on its tickets would not participate in the drive.

In Multan, the ECP, taking notice of the clash, directed action against the culprits. Soon after, a police party raided the guest house of Dogar, and arrested him along with 15 PTI activists.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Rana Mansoor confirmed that a raid was carried out at the guest house of Dogar and the PTI activists had been taken into custody.

The local media quoted Dogar as telling the police that if his activists were being rounded up, he would also go with them.

A police spokesperson said that several PML-N men, including party candidate Sheikh Tariq Rashid and Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hasan, had also been arrested.

He added that action was being taken against the activists of both the parties on the ECP’s request.

PTI activists protested against the arrest of their colleagues and set ablaze tyres, blocking a main road in Multan.

Senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry told a private TV news channel that with Dogar’s arrest, his party’s Jail Bharo agitation movement had kicked off.

The spokesperson for the provincial election commissioner said the Multan police had been directed to take “strict action” in connection with the clash and submit a report to the ECP.

He added that those involved in the clash had been arrested and more people would be taken into custody after the FIR of the incident was registered.

Taking to Twitter, former finance minister and senior PTI leader Asad Umar termed the arrest another example of growing fascism in the country. “Funeral of democracy is being carried out,” he added.

PTI leader Farrukh Habib condemned the arrest on Twitter. “[The] PDM [Pakistan Democratic Movement] should stop using dirty tactics and Amir Dogar should be released immediately,” he wrote.

Read Imran fears next polls would be rigged due to ‘anti-PTI postings’

Fawad tweeted that the arrest was a part of the “fascist government’s state policy of bullet and sticks”. “The clerk has once again, on the [directives] of the PDM, filed an FIR against a dedicated leader like Amir Dogar,” he claimed.

Separately, PTI sources on Wednesday disclosed that during a meeting chaired by the party chairman, it was told that its candidates contesting in the upcoming by-elections would only focus on their electioneering and not participate in the movement.

The candidates have been informed about the decision and asked to focus on their election campaigns.

It was also decided that when the time came, the PTI activists, including central and provincial party leaders, would voluntarily surrender before the police.

Moreover, a delegation of Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM), led by Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, on Wednesday met the PTI chairman and announced its support for the Jail Bharo movement.

Also in a tweet, the PTI chairman criticised the police raids on former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi’s residence in Gujrat. Imran said that he condemned the “repeated” police raids on Elahi’s home.