PTI protests paralyse twin cities
PTI supporters clash with police during a protest against Imran’s arrest in Lahore. PHOTO: AFP
Soon after the arrest of former prime minister, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers and supporters took to the streets in the twin cities and blocked major roads and highways, disrupting traffic and paralysing routine life and businesses.
Due to the closure of the motorway, GT Road, Murree Road and other roads, the citizens faced serious problems in reaching homes and workplaces.
During the protests on the main thoroughfares of the garrison city, traffic on GT Road, Taxila, Rawat, Airport Road and Murree Road remained disrupted for hours as PTI workers and activists blocked the movement of vehicles by burning tires and pelting stones at law enforcers and policemen.
Protest demonstrations were also held at various locations on the motorway and other roads and students going home from schools, colleges and universities had to either walk for miles.
Some people also went to the homes of their relatives and friends.
Moreover, ambulances in the twin cities also remained stuck on roads due to the protests.
The citizens faced severe problems in moving between the twin cities due to the closure of roads at various locations.
A large number of PTI workers also blocked roads at various places including at Committee Chowk, Shamsabad, Faizabad, Rawat T Chowk and Gujar Khan.
Due to the protest, traffic on Murree Road and Mall Road was completely closed as heavy contingent of police shelled to disperse the protesters.
The protesters also pelted stones at the police.
SP Waris Khan Tahir Sikandar, SHO Ratta Amral Chaudhry Riaz and other policemen were injured in clashes with PTI workers on Mall Road and Murree Road.
A large number of PTI workers also marched from Murree Road to the most sensitive areas of Rawalpindi, including the General Headquarters.
Police also resorted to heavy shelling, and baton charge and fired rubber bullets to disperse the protesters on Mall Road and Rawalpindi Sadar’s Mahal Bazaar and Road Haider Road, Adamji Road, and Bank Road.
In response to the tear gas shelling and firing of the police, PTI workers threw heavy stones at them.
During the protest, clashes between the PTI protesters and the police also took place outside the Survey of Pakistan office near Shamshabad and a PTI worker was seriously injured by a rubber bullet.
Clashes between the police and the protesters continued at various places till the filing of this report.
No other PTI leader except Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan and Umar Tanveer Butt was present during the protests.
Umar Tanveer Butt talked to the media at Liaquat Bagh and said that Imran Khan was the red line of PTI.
He said that people have come out for their leader.
Police sources said that more than five PTI workers were arrested and shifted to different police stations in the city for blocking roads and resorting to bonfires.
Three injured PTI workers were shifted to the district headquarters hospital, four to the Benazir Bhutto Hospital and three to the Holy Family Hospital for treatment, sources said.
PTI workers blocked areas of Tarnol, Express Highway, Faizabad and Sohan, causing inconvenience to people in the twin cities.
Police have detained 43 PTI workers while five policemen were injured in stone pelting on police.
According to the police, the protesters blocked inter-provincial public transport at Tarnol, due to which women, children and elderly people were stranded in public transport and other vehicles.
The police repeatedly made announcements in gramophones, appealing to the protesters to open the way or else legal action would be taken.
During the protests, angry activists pelted stones at federal police personnel, injuring five policemen, while police detained 43 PTI workers from different places in Islamabad and locked them up at different police stations.
Due to the closure of the main highways at various places, the federal police diverted traffic to alternative routes.
All roads within Islamabad city remained completely open but after hearing the news of protests, a large number of residents of Islamabad stayed at home.
The general public was also warned by the district administration and Islamabad police to avoid unnecessary travel due to the possible blocking of roads by the protesters.