Islamabad police launch crack down against PTI before lockdown

Lahore : At least 120 members of the Insaf Students Federation were arrested Thursday evening in a crackdown by law enforcement personnel against PTI in Islamabad ahead of a major anti-government protest on November 2.

Scuffles broke out between law enforcers and PTI leaders present at the venue of the youth convention, from where the ISF workers were arrested.

Video footage showed police and Frontier Constabulary personnel baton-charging and arresting PTI workers at the venue of the convention. A scuffle broke out between the law enforcers and senior PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who argued with the personnel for demanding an explanation for the arrests.

“Peaceful protest is our constitutional right. On whose orders did they raise their arms to attack these peaceful workers? Why are our workers being arrested?” asked Qureshi, who was visibly angered. He was soon accompanied by senior PTI leader Asad Umar.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan gave a call for countrywide protests for October 27 after Islamabad police stormed PTI’s youth convention in Islamabad and arrested scores of party activists.He announced this during an emergency meeting in Bani Gala which was attended by senior party leaders.

Speaking to media representatives, Qureshi said the party’s workers including women were attacked by the police, who he claimed openly used batons to disperse the participants. A large number of young PTI workers had been arrested by the Islamabad police, he added.

PTI leader Asad Umar said, “State injustice cannot stop us from protesting and the government is afraid of PTI’s democratic protest”, there is no democracy in Pakistan. “Government has proved that there is no democracy in Pakistan, rather it is a monarchy,” he said.

PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi alleged the government had arrested hundreds of its workers and police tortured the female workers of the party as well.