Rawalpindi: The leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf directed the workers to disperse and go back to end the ongoing protest at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi.
Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shaukat Basra while talking to media representatives along with Shehryar Riaz said that the workers who came out to protest in Rawalpindi were shelled and our bodies were dropped but we gathered here on the call of our leader.
He said that I have been contacted by Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram and instructed to end the protest, whose workers will now go back. He said that PTI workers should not be seduced by anyone and should disperse peacefully and leave for their homes.
Earlier, clashes between the police and PTI workers continued throughout the day on the highway and other places including Committee Chowk in Rawalpindi. forced them to retreat.
Read more: CM KP Burhan stuck at interchange, announcement to end protest Earlier in the day, at different times of the day, Tehreek-e-Insaaf workers also pelted stones at the police on Shilling, on which the police had to retreat.
Tehreek-e-Insaf claims that despite the barriers, people came out in large numbers and expressed solidarity with Imran Khan. Rallies of Aleema Khan and other leaders were also shelled by the police while the advance of PTI workers was stopped.
In Rawalpindi, the police arrested PTI leader and ticket holder Seemabiya Tahir and other workers, while the Attock bridge was completely sealed to stop the caravans coming from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, due to which Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was also unable to reach Pindi. Ended the protest at Attock Bridge and directed the workers to go back.
Also Read: Pindi; Barrister Gauhar and Salman Akram Raja arrested The workers of Tehreek-e-Insaf got angry on the announcement of the Chief Minister and they surrounded the Chief Minister’s car and demanded him to walk with him, during which the Chief Minister got angry with the workers and also used foul language.
Police torture and arrests of journalists The Rawalpindi police also tortured the journalists who were covering the protest with the Tehreek-e-Insaf workers while confiscating their mobile phones and detaining them. Apart from this, a private TV reporter was assaulted by police personnel in Islamabad.
The police also blocked the roads by placing containers on the dividers between Murree Road and the sidewalks on both sides of the intersections.
To prevent the advance of the participants, the police of 32 police stations of the district, additional personnel of recruit constabulary trained by Sahala Training College and Rangers were also deployed. In view of the protest, the metro bus service, educational institutions remained completely closed, while the internet service was also closed in the vicinity of Murree Road throughout the day. Due to the actions of the administration, the entry of ambulances was also blocked in the hospitals due to which the patients were stranded while the citizens faced severe problems.
Also Read: Rawalpindi; Clashes between PTI workers and police, the area turned into a battleground
On the other hand, the police conducted more than two hundred raids in the houses of activists throughout the night, but no worker was caught by the police. Leave was granted.