In an attempt to halt the long march of the deposed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), police launched a crackdown on the former ruling party, raiding the homes of almost all party leaders and forcing them to flee.
In raids across Pakistan, particularly in Punjab, police arrested at least 150 PTI members, who will be imprisoned under MPO 16 in order to thwart Imran Khan’s much-publicized march.
According to sources, a list of 350 PTI supporters has been prepared. “The CCPO office has forwarded this list to relevant police stations, and respective DSPs have been told to monitor the crackdown,” sources added.
Police have raided the houses of PTI Punjab leaders Raja Basharat, Ijaz Khan Jazi, Wasiq Qayyum, Chaudhry Amjad, Chaudhry Adnan, and Rashid Hafiz. However, they were not able to arrest any of the leaders.
The police officials also conducted raids on the residences of Babar Awan, Hammad Azhar, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Ali Naveed Bhatti, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Malik Nadeem Abbas, Yasir Gillani, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Saadia Sohail, Ijaz Chaudhry, Akram Usman, Aqil Siddiqui, Amir Riaz, Mohammad Haider.
A former advisor to Punjab governor Salman Shoaib’s home was also raided. In a video message, Shoaib said the police violated the sanctity of the household and threatened to “drag CM Hamza Shehbaz” in Lahore.
Police in Rawalpindi also raided Lal Haveli, the home of Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid. Rashid and his nephew, on the other hand, escaped arrest.
Rashid Tufail’s house in Kasur was also raided. He was not, however, at home. Police raided Saeed Ahmed Khan’s home in Shera Kot. Khan claimed that police used ladders to scale the walls of his house, disregarding the house’s sanctity.
To counter the crackdown, the PTI has decided to set up ‘protest camps’ in key districts of Pakistan on Wednesday, following consultations with top officials.
To read our blog on “Imran Khan will be given foolproof security, orders PM Shahbaz Sharif,” click here.
