Normalcy returns to city after SC order

LAHORE:

Following the third day of agitation by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists, including violent acts and clashes with the police, normalcy started returning to the city on Thursday evening after the Supreme Court announced that the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan was against the law.

The rallying point of PTI activists’ agitation earlier in the day turned out to be Zaman Park, outside Khan’s residence. The protesters continued agitation and clashing with law enforcement agencies’ personnel in areas around the locality.

They stopped a train at Dharampura underpass railway crossing hardly half a kilometre away from Zaman Park.

A Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) truck was also taken over by the activists. On previous days, the protesters had taken away several government trucks, reportedly to use them for cover to advance against the police during clashes.

The rioters also set on fire a police van on Sundar Das Road.

Amid continued agitation overnight, the protesters had allegedly stormed many police vehicles, the Shadman police station and Lahore Services Hospital.

They vandalised several traffic and police picket points and sheds. They also uprooted plants and trees planted on green belts. Reportedly, the branches of the trees were use as clubs to attack the police.

Heavy contingents of police and Anti-Riot Force (ARF) remained deployed in various parts of the city to maintain order.

During the day, army companies also patrolled some major arteries of the city and remained deployed for some time at Liberty Chowk that had remained a focal point of PTI activity earlier.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police said the number of people arrested during the riots had exceeded 2,250. The arrested protesters are suspected of being involved in attacks, vandalism and arson against public and private institutions.

The police said over 150 personnel of the force had been injured during the clashes.

The injured officers and personnel included 63 in Lahore, 29 in Rawalpindi, 26 in Faisalabad, 13 in Gujranwala, 10 in Attock, six in Mianwali and five in Sialkot.

At least 72 vehicles of Punjab Police and eight of citizens were set ablaze.

As many as 23 vehicles were damaged in Lahore, 18 each in Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, eight in Multan, five in Sialkot, three in Gujranwala, two in Bhakkar and one in Attock.

Punjab Police Inspector General Usman Anwar said in a statement that miscreants who had damaged public and private property, attacked police teams and resorted to violence did not deserve any sympathy and of them were being traced and arrested.

He said police operations were under way to arrest the miscreants in various districts of the province who had been involved in attacks on public and private property, vandalism and torching police vehicles. On the basis of video recordings and other evidence, elements involved in malicious activities were being brought in the grip of the law, he asserted.

Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana said Lahore police had arrested over 200 people involved in violent acts of damaging property and attacking state institutions.

According to him, over 60 officers and personnel of the provincial police had suffered injuries due to the violent actions of the miscreants. The miscreants vandalised over 22 police vehicles and set several others on fire.

The police have registered 11 first information reports (FIRs) against the miscreants, of which three were registered in Race Course police station, two each in Gulberg, Model Town and Sarwar Road, and one each in the North Cantonment and Shadman police stations.

On the other hand, some citizens complained of the police misusing their authority in eh guise of the crackdown against the protesters. They allegedly torched some vehicles and also took passers-by into custody show a high performance in the manhunt.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2023.