‘Punjab, G-B cops did not clash’ at Zaman Park

Caretaker minister claims militants of banned outfit ‘deployed' outside Imran’s residence

LAHORE:

The Gilgit-Baltistan police did not clash with their colleagues in the province or any other officials in uniform outside PTI chairman Imran Khan’s residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park area, Punjab IGP Dr Usman Anwar on Thursday claimed.

Two days ago, Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb alleged that cops from G-B were being used to stop the Islamabad police and Rangers personnel from arresting Imran from his residence in Lahore.

However, the G-B government denied this claim.

The Punjab police chief, while addressing a news conference at his office, accompanied by caretaker provincial information minister Amir Mir, maintained that whoever wore a uniform with the national flag on it never confronted each other.

“It has never happened,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Mir alleged that “militants” were present outside the residence of the PTI chief.

He claimed that one of these militants had remained the “right hand man” of Sufi Muhammad, the leader of a banned outfit, the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM).

He added that this ‘militant’ had spent eight years in jail and recently affiliated himself with a political party of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a veiled reference to the PTI.

Mir further said a case had been registered against the miscreants outside Imran’s Zaman Park residence and the law would take its course.

The caretaker minister maintained that PTI activists had resorted to violence and attacked the Lahore police as well as other law enforcement agencies officials for assisting the Islamabad cops in arresting Imran in compliance with non-bailable arrest warrants issued for him by a federal capital sessions court in the Toshakhana case.

He added that while resisting the implementation of the court orders, the PTI activists had turned Zaman Park into a “no-go area”.

Mir insisted that the caretaker government of Punjab had issued  clear instructions to the police that there should be no loss of life in Zaman Park.

IGP Anwar said the Islamabad DIG himself had reached the scene with Imran’s non-bailable arrest warrants and they had assisted him.

The Punjab police chief maintained that they did not have any intention to launch a crackdown and dispatched a small contingent of the force as a formality.

However, as the police reached Zaman Park, the PTI activists attacked them, the IGP added.

“They [PTI activists] resorted to the worst form of violence by burning the green belt; using petrol bombs, torching police vehicles; and damaging public and private property,” he claimed.

The IGP added that Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana was attacked with a petrol bomb.

The IGP said overall, around 65 people were injured by PTI activists including Islamabad DIG Nadeem Shahzad Bukhari, DPO Zahid Nawaz and a female SP.

He added that this figure was other than that if those provided with first aid on the scene by Rescue 1122 were included.

“Unlike all the previous law and order situations where senior police officers moved with armed guards, cops, even the CCPO, were ordered not to carry any sort of weapon. They wanted to make sure that there was not even a minor possibility of a mistake by the police that could trigger a major incident,” the IGP elaborated.

He explained that the police resorted to tear gas shelling, use of water cannons and other options when attacked by the activists.

“Law [referring to police rules] allowed the police to use tear gas shelling, water cannons and baton-charging in such a scenario,” he added.

He added that despite all the violence unleashed on them, the police showed maximum restraint.

Expressing the logic behind the move, he made a reference to the death of Ali Bilal alias Zillay Shah and the PTI blaming the police for it.

He added that if the police were held responsible for the death of an innocent man in a road accident, what if someone had died of bullets fired by the cops.

“This news conference would be going on a different topic and tone [in that scenario],” he noted.

He said the protesters had made an attempt to make a part of Lahore a “no-go area”.

“We have witnessed few ‘no-go areas' in a few cities in the past and  everyone knows the cost that is paid after forming them,” he added.

He claimed that there were no “no-go areas” in Pakistan, particularly in Punjab.

He maintained that despite the prevailing law and order situation in Zaman Park, the police managed to keep all the other parts of the city under check as per routine.

“They [police] even managed to conduct the PSL [Pakistan Super League] matches as scheduled without any interruption,” he added.

Anwar said the court had given time till Friday (today).

“We have a meeting scheduled in the evening (Thursday) at the Civil Secretriat where the PTI leadership is also participating,” he added.

He pledged to comply by the court warrants in Zaman Park to arrest Imran -- a practical negation of a “no-go area” -- very soon.

Hours later, Mohammad Iqbal of the PTI came forward to deny the claims made by the caretaker Punjab government that he was a militant having links with a banned organisation.

In a video statement, Iqbal  categorically denied any connection or contact with any outlawed outfit.

He said that he was a PTI activist and arrived in Lahore’s Zaman Park to join the protest against the arrest of party chief Imran.

He claimed that he had been a PTI activist since October 28, 2022 and  rumours were being spread against him.

“I am not a part of any activity against the government, but as a worker of the PTI, I went to Zaman Park to support Imran Khan,” he added.

He further said the claims made by the caretaker Punjab government were “baseless and unfounded”.