Over 700 Imran supporters ‘held’ ahead of march planned by party in Islamabad

Over 700 supporters of the jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan were arrested from different parts of Punjab on Thursday, a day before a major protest march in Islamabad by his party for the independence of the judiciary, release of the party founder and against rising inflation.

“Do or die — October 4th is the battle cry! No more waiting, no more silence. This is the final stand at D Chowk (Islamabad), where the brave gather and the weak fall behind. We are unstoppable, unbreakable, and ready to fight for the soul of this nation. Either we win or we perish trying,” Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said soon after the arrests started.

It said the Punjab police arrested over 700 of its workers and leaders in different districts including, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Mianwali and Jhangh following its announcement to hold protests on Friday.

Punjab’s provincial government had adopted similar measures to prevent PTI’s jalsa – the power show – at Lahore last month.

PTI’s central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the government led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had sealed the Red Zone in Islamabad and was taking similar measures in other cities to stop PTI workers from holding protests and public meetings.

“PTI’s call for protests has panicked the government which is why it is sealing the cities,” he said.

The Punjab police have deployed heavy contingents of personnel and put in place containers at the entry and exit points of all cities to stop the protesters’ movement, he said, “The selected districts were turned into no-go areas for the residents of Punjab and those inside the cities were not allowed to go out.”

Punjab’s provincial government on Thursday also imposed Section 144 in Lahore banning all kinds of political assemblies, gatherings, rallies and protests. On Wednesday, despite the restrictions, party workers took to the streets and survived tear-gas shelling to stage rallies in different cities, the PTI said.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Nawaz Sharif, said political activity was allowed in Punjab but not terrorism by the PTI. “We will deal with such elements with iron hands,” she added.