Police claim 170 injuries in PTI face-off

The Rawalpindi police on Thursday claimed that violent demonstrations, which erupted in the federal capital during the PTI long march cum protest on November 24, resulted in 170 injuries to police officers and officials. Two officials sustained gunshot wounds, while 25 others are in critical condition.

Eleven police vehicles were damaged, while over 1,150 violent protesters, including Afghan nationals, were arrested in 32 cases.

This was revealed at a presser jointly held by Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer Babar Sarfraz Alpa, City Police Officer Khalid Hamdani and Attock District Police Officer Sardar Ghiyas on Thursday.

RPO Alpa claimed that violent protesters used government resources and firearms to attack the police, firing directly at them. The protests caused significant damage, including setting fires at various motorway locations and damaging police vehicles, he added.

Despite the violence, the police exercised restraint, resulting in no reported injuries among the protesters, the RPO further said.

Alpa disclosed that 64 Afghan nationals were among those arrested, of whom only four had legal permits, while the remaining 60 were illegal residents. "The protests over the past three months have injured 262 police personnel across the Rawalpindi region," the police officer said.

Rawalpindi CPO Hamdani informed the media that protesters arriving from Hakla Interchange directly fired at and pelted stones at police officers.

Among the more than 400 protesters arrested in the Rawalpindi district, several were illegal Afghan residents.

Weapons, slingshots, wireless communication devices, ball bearings, and rods used in attacks were seized from the protesters, who also attempted to run over police officers with vehicles, the CPO added. Constable Muhammad Mubashir Bilal was martyred, and 24 other officers were injured during the violence.