LAHORE/KARACHI: Despite a crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers, leaders, and supporters aimed at preventing nationwide protests, demonstrations still erupted in several cities after Friday prayers.
The protests were in response to the party’s call against proposed constitutional amendments and the imprisonment of PTI’s founding chairman, Imran Khan.
Major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, saw confrontations between PTI supporters and the police, as the former were determined to protest while authorities worked to suppress the gatherings.
In Karachi, hundreds of protesters, including lawyers, women, and people from various backgrounds, gathered at Empress Market in Saddar, led by PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh. Police responded with baton charges to disperse the crowd and arrested over 20 PTI leaders, including MPA Rehan Bandokda, PTI Karachi Minority Wing President Suleman Kanwal, and Youth Leader Meraj Shah.
In Lahore, demonstrators gathered at GPO Chowk after PTI Punjab Interim President Hammad Azhar changed the protest venue last minute from Liberty Chowk, where heavy police contingents had already gathered along with prison vans.
In Rawalpindi, protesters assembled at Community Chowk and Chandni Chowk, despite roads leading to the protest sites being blocked off by the authorities.
The protests came after several days of demonstrations across Punjab, following an alleged rape incident and PTI’s call to protest Imran Khan’s imprisonment and proposed constitutional changes. Lahore police launched a citywide crackdown, arresting over 350 PTI workers in raids across various parts of the city, including Iqbal Town, Johar Town, Kot Lakhpat, Defence, and Northern and Southern Cantonments.
Police targeted individuals allegedly involved in inciting public protests, with a list of over 1,600 active PTI members reportedly leading the demonstrations. Raids were carried out by specialised teams from the Operations, Investigations, and Organised Crime Units (OCU) based on intelligence reports to prevent further unrest.
Amid the crackdown, the Punjab Home Department established a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the spread of misinformation regarding the alleged rape incident in Lahore.
As unrest grew, public and private educational institutions remained closed, and exams were postponed. Section 144 was imposed in various districts to prevent further gatherings.
Law enforcement agencies remained on high alert, with further arrests expected as part of the ongoing crackdown. The findings of the JIT will play a key role in determining legal actions against those spreading misinformation and participating in the protests.