LAHORE, Mar 08 (NNI): Following a brutal police crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers, who were out on roads to participate in ‘save judiciary rally, on Wednesday, former prime minister and party Chairman Imran Khan asked his workers to return to their homes.
Earlier, scores of PTI workers were arrested by Lahore police from The Mall on Wednesday in an attempt to thwart party’s planned rally. The police have arrested a number of PTI workers and loaded them in their vans.
Meanwhile, another PTI caravan has reached Zaman Park from The Mall. The caravan has a horse carriage and a band as well. The PTI activists were dancing.
Meanwhile, after imposition of Section 144, the police have decided that no rally by the PTI will be allowed to be taken out in the city. The decision was taken in view of prevailing security situation and fear of any terrorist act. The police said any violation of the Section 144 will be dealt with sternly.
Following the ban’s imposition, scores of PTI workers were taken into police custody on Mall Road for violating Section 144. All roads leading to PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence had been cordoned off.
Water cannons were used in an effort to dispel PTI workers while police officials also smashed the windows of their cars. Police also used baton-charge after the PTI workers thronged Canal Road and set up a temporary bridge. The road leading to Zaman Park from The Mall was blocked with containers. The party’s official Twitter account also shared footage of the same.
Earlier, the Punjab Home Department banned all kinds of protests, demonstrations and sit-ins in Lahore for seven days, citing the overall security situation in the wake of recent “wave of terrorism and threat alerts”.
A notification issued by the department said the ban was imposed on “holding all kinds of assemblies, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, processions, demonstrations, […] protests and such like other activities across the district Lahore to avert any untoward incident”.
The prohibition — imposed under Section 144 (temporary orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Code of Criminal Procedure — is to be in effect immediately. PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry shared a video of a water cannon being used to dispel PTI rally participants.
Imran Khan said that his party had launched its election campaign with hardly 55 days left for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Under what law and in brazen contempt of the Supreme Court, the Punjab caretaker government uses massive police violence against unarmed workers to stop our planned rally?” he asked.
“The only job of caretakers is to ensure fair and free elections. What they are doing is an assault on rule of law, our Constitution and democracy. Above all, once the Supreme Court ruling is defied, it is now law of the jungle,” tweeted.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has expressed grave concern over the coverage of public gatherings and rallies targeting state institutions, saying telecast of such content is not in consonance with the Pemra code of conduct, besides violation of LHC order.
A directive issued by the Authority said that airing malicious and slanderous content against state institutions was in violation of Pemra laws. NNI
