D-Day at D-Chowk

ISLAMABAD

The law and order situation remained tense on the second consecutive day in the federal capital as despite stringent security measures, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers managed to reach the protest venue 'D Chowk' by taking advantage of heavy rain which subsided the intensity of the tear gas lobbed by the security forces.

The symbol of PTI's political struggle – D-Chowk - continued to be the battleground between the PTI and law enforcement agencies while Chief Minister Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur remained confined to the KP House for hours on the pretext of holding talks with the authorities concerned amid contradictory reports of his arrest.

The claims and counterclaims about provincial chief minister's arrest surfaced after he suddenly left the protesters behind and reached KP House where heavy contingent of the police and Rangers was present. As soon as the law enforcers entered the KP House, PTI leaders and several media channels claimed that he was taken into custody.

Though the news was quickly rebutted, the whereabouts of the K-P chief minister remained unknown even around midnight. Late on Saturday night, when a reporter asked Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi about Gandapur in a press talk, he smilingly asked the reporter to tell him about his whereabouts– leaving the matter shrouded in secrecy.

However, PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai had reportedly confirmed to media that the CM was still at the KP House where he presented demands to the administration, including the immediate release of the party's founder Imran Khan and redressal of PTI's grievances.

Nevertheless, despite the deployment of Pakistan Army in the capital, government ministers' warnings, imposition of Section 144 and closure of roads, the PTI protesters managed to converge at various sites, including briefly at the edge D-Chowk – located right in front of Parliament in Red Zone.

This not only chided the ministers' repeated claims that no one would be allowed to come anywhere near the promised protest site but turned the capital's Blue Area into a battleground as several instances of stone-pelting and tear gas exchanges between the law enforcers and protestors were witnessed there throughout the day. Surprisingly, apart from the K-P CM, the main leadership of PTI wasn't leading the rally from the front or seen at protest site.

The clashes between the law enforcers and PTI supporters were reported from different areas of the twin cities throughout the day amid fiery statements from government ministers and PTI leaders against each other. Meanwhile, the roads remained blocked with containers and cellular services suspended, resulting in increasing difficulties of the citizens manifolds.

The government side claimed that PTI was trying to sabotage the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit by trying to hold a rally at D-Chowk and vowed that it wouldn't be allowed to do so. In contrast, the PTI leadership refuted it by saying that holding peaceful protest was party's right, especially, when it only wanted to come for a day and had no plan to hold a sit-in at D-Chowk.

In a statement, the inspector general of the Punjab Police noted that direct gunfire was aimed at the police. He commended the police for their efforts in preventing any unpleasant incidents. He affirmed that the authorities would not allow any disruption of peace, assuring that Pakistan remains safe and will continue to do so.

Till midnight, the situation stayed volatile in the capital as the pitched battles between the two sides continued to take place as the roads remained closed and cellular networks shut for over 48 hours. Late night, it was reported that police and other law enforcers had managed to disperse protesters from near D-Chowk and surrounding areas.