PTI anger spills into streets after Imran's arrest

ISLAMABAD:

PTI Chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan’s arrest from inside the premises of the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday triggered protests in many cities of the country by his party activists and supporters as they clashed with the police and destroyed public properties.

Taking to Twitter, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry appealed to the people to come out of their homes, terming the arrest an attack on the judiciary.

PTI Sindh President and former federal minister Ali Zaidi also tweeted that the arrest of the former prime minister from the court premises was a clear violation of the Constitution.

“This country can no longer afford this kind of fascism. The nation has to rise up. It’s time to shut down this country,” he wrote.

On the call of the PTI leadership, party activists staged protests in many cities.

In various cities in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the activists blocked the roads, causing problems to the commuters.

The PTI activists staged protests in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. They marched and entered the federal capital’s Red Zone.

According to the police spokesperson, five officials were injured because of stone-pelting by the PTI activists.

The spokesperson added that 43 activists had been detained for violating Section 144.

The PTI activists turned up in large numbers at various places in Rawalpindi, including Murree Road, Liaquat Bagh, Committee Chowk, Shamsabad, Faizabad, Rawat T-Chowk and GT Road Gujar Khan.

They set fire to tyres and garbage lying on the side of the roads. The vehicular traffic on Murree Road was completely blocked because of the protests.

A heavy contingent of police resorted to shelling to disperse the protesters.

The protesters retaliated by pelting stones at the police.

Several PTI activists started marching from Murree Road towards Rawalpindi.

To stop the protesters, the personnel of all the police stations of Rawalpindi police Potohar Division were called to the scene.

On Mall Road too, the police used batons to disperse the protesters and fired gunshots in the air as well as rubber bullets.

Rawalpindi’s Saddar neighbourhood as well as Bazaar, Hyder, Adamji and Bank roads also turned into battlefields.

In Lahore, the PTI activists started gathering in the city initially at eight points – Zaman Park, Akbar Chowk, Canal Bridge near Mall Road, GPO Chowk, Liberty Chowk, Shangai Bridge Ferozpur Road and Thokar Niaz Beg.

The protesters blocked the roads, causing severe nuisance for the public.

They chanted slogans, damaged public as well as private properties and clashed with the police. On Ferozpur Road, they also damaged the infrastructure of the Metro Bus Service.

The PTI leadership present in Lahore also came out to join the protests.

With the passage of time, protests at Mall Road and Liberty Chowk grew in size as activists from other areas gradually arrived at these locations.

The PTI leadership announced moving the protests outside the Punjab Assembly and Governor House.

On the call, the protesters on GPO Chowk started moving forward.

However, they were confronted by the police.

The Anti-Riot Force officials used batons, tear-gas shells and water cannons to disperse the protesters.

The protesters at Liberty Chowk had also started moving to Mall Road outside the Governor House and Punjab Assembly building through Main Gulberg Boulevard.

As they reached near Sherpao Bridge, reports of police crackdown on the PTI activists were received.

On social media, a few horrific visuals of looting, damaging and partying by distribution of sweets by the PTI activists also surfaced.

As the situation went out of control, the caretaker Punjab government announced the imposition of Section 144 in the province. It also shut down cellular phone service.

It summoned the assistance of Rangers personnel to bring the law and order situation under control.

After Imran’s arrest, his Zaman Park residence was taken over by the PTI activists carrying sticks and the roads were blocked.

A heavy contingent of the police arrived to disperse the activists at Zaman Park. However, as the situation became tense, the police were forced to retreat.

Lawyers also staged a protest at Lahore GPO Chowk against Imran’s arrest from inside the court premises.

They burnt tyres and blocked the road. Long queues of vehicles were formed because of the road closure.

In Karachi, the PTI leadership summoned activists and supporters to the Insaf House.

The activists blocked the flow of traffic on Shahrea Faisal, causing a long queue of vehicles on one of the city’s main thoroughfares.

Verbal spats were witnessed between the PTI activists and commuters.

Later, the police reached Shahrea Faisal to disperse the enraged protesters by resorting to shelling.

The PTI activists set a prisoner van, two water tankers, a Rangers post and tyres on fire on Shahrea Faisal.

The police appeared helpless in front of the agitated protesters in Karachi as well.

However, the police arrested PTI Sindh Assembly member Shahnawaz Jadoon on charges of rioting and transferred him to an unknown location.

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Later, Rangers personnel were deployed outside the Saddar police station.

The police also arrested PTI Sindh President Ali Zaidi as well as party MPA Rehan Rajput.

Zaidi was rounded up near Kala Pul.

Protests were also staged by PTI activists in other cities and towns of Sindh, including Hyderabad.

In Quetta, at least one PTI activist was killed and six others were injured during firing at a protest rally.

The charged PTI supporters blocked Main Quetta Airport Road to protest against Imran’s arrest.

"There was firing inside the PTI rally,” a senior police officer, wishing to remain anonymous as he was not authorised to speak to the media, told The Express Tribune.

However, PTI Balochistan President Munir Baloch accused the police of firing at the protesters. "We demand an investigation into the incident,” he added.

The protesters vented their anger at two police vehicles parked near the rally by setting them on fire.

The police resorted to firing tear-gas shells to disperse them.

The protesters also burnt tyres on Main Airport Road Chowk, suspending vehicular traffic between Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.

The Balochistan government imposed Section 144 to maintain law and order in the province.

The protesters also blocked the main national highways linking Pakistan with neighbouring countries Iran and Afghanistan.

In Peshawar, traders and shopkeepers closed their businesses to express solidarity with the PTI chief.

Also in the provincial capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a mob razed the Chaghi monument – a mountain-shaped sculpture honouring the location of Pakistan’s first nuclear test.

“Imran Khan is our red line. Even a scratch on him is not acceptable,” Hanif Khan, a grocery store owner, said.

“We will sacrifice our lives, but we will free Imran Khan,” he added.

The PTI activists in Peshawar gathered at Committee Chowk and broke the door of the Radio Station, marching towards the K-P Assembly.

Despite facing resistance from the police, the PTI activists managed to enter the K-P Assembly.

The enraged PTI activists also attacked a van of Express News and broke its windows. The van was covering the protest live through its digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) unit. The mob also pelted stones at the vehicle.

The protesters also blocked GT Road in the Hashtnagri area, causing a traffic gridlock.

In the Chakdara area of Lower Dir, a young man was killed and 14 protesters were seriously injured in firing and stone-pelting.

Separately, the PTI activists entered the FC School in the Balambat area of Lower Dir and set it on fire. (With input from our correspondents in Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar as well as agencies)