Over 150 PTI workers, leaders court arrest

RAWALPINDI:

As part of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s “Jail Bharo drive”, 150 workers and five former members of the national and provincial assemblies courted arrest at Rawalpindi Committee Chowk on Friday.

Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslimeen chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafri along with others also presented themselves for arrest. The PTI workers chanted slogans at the Committee Chowk before they offered the court arrest.

Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed also reached the scene to express solidarity with the PTI workers and leaders. PTI leaders Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Raja Basharat, Sheikh Rashid Shafique, Wasiq Qayum Abbasi, Raja Rashid Hafeez and others were also present. A large number of workers including women and children wearing chains on their hands were present at the chowk for the court arrest.

The police bundled the arrested workers into five vans and left the Committee Chowk. PTI’s former minority member in Punjab Assembly Samuel Tariq was the first to reach Committee Chowk with the workers wearing chains in their hands. Police opened the door of the prison van as soon as the workers arrived. The workers voluntarily presented themselves for the court arrest and sat in the van. Before the departure of the first prison van, former provincial minister Fayaz-ul-Hasan Chohan reached Committee Chowk and sat in the prison van.

When the van left, former members Punjab Assembly, Ijaz Khan Jazi, Muhammad Latasub Satti, former member of the National Assembly Sadaqat Abbasi, former advisor to PM Zulfi Bukhari also boarded the prison van with the workers.

The PTI activists climbed onto the roof of the vans and chanted slogans.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2023.