By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party called off a protest in Rawalpindi on Saturday after violent clashes with police left several injured, as authorities sealed off entry points to the garrison city and used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed supporters to return, citing the expiry of the allocated protest deadline and criticizing the government for denying the party its “constitutional right” to assemble. Gandapur’s convoy was also shelled near the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway.
“We have decided to call off the protest in line with party chairman Imran Khan’s instructions,” senior PTI leader Azam Swati told protesters. However, Gandapur’s announcement sparked brief resistance from protesters, who surrounded his vehicle before being calmed by Swati.
Eyewitnesses reported chaotic scenes in Rawalpindi, with police using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse PTI supporters attempting to breach container barriers near Liaquat Bagh. Violent clashes with police left several injured.
Police sealed off entry points to the garrison city, thwarting attempts by supporters of Khan to gather at the protest venue. Witnesses said violent clashes broke out along Murree Road, where Khan’s sisters were present. Police and PTI supporters also clashed near Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh.
The crackdown came as PTI supporters sought to pressure the government for Khan’s release from jail, where he is being held since last year after multiple convictions on charges including treason and corruption.
Punjab’s Home Department had imposed Section 144 on Friday, banning assemblies of four or more people in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Chakwal, and Attock for two-day.
Local administrations in Attock and Rawalpindi are assisted by six companies of Pakistan Rangers, (Punjab), stationed at the request of the respective deputy commissioners. The Ministry of Interior, which commands the Rangers, deployed the troops at the request of the Punjab Home Department.
Security had been beefed up with containers blocking key intersections in Rawalpindi, while Islamabad police blocked the motorway. Metro bus services were suspended. Heavy police contingents were deployed on Constitution Avenue and at Red Zone entry points in Islamabad.
“With key government offices, high courts and embassies in the High-Security Zone, it’s critical we maintain tight security,” a police spokesperson said. “We’re committed to protecting citizens’ lives and property; any disruption to peace will be met with swift action.”
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and general secretary Salman Akram Raja were briefly detained near Sector H-13 while en route to Rawalpindi. Khan later told reporters that police ordered them to turn back.
Initially, PTI sought permission for rallies in Rawalpindi and Lahore on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5. However, on Khan’s instructions, the party dropped the plan and opted for a peaceful protest instead.
The city police said on social media that security is on high alert; Section 144 is in force. “Illegal assembly or rally is not allowed at any place, legal action will be taken in case of violation,” the post said. “Violators of law and order will be dealt with with iron hands.”
PTI information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram praised party workers for participating in a protest at Liaquat Bagh despite “police shelling” and “straight firing.”
“I want to congratulate every PTI leader, worker, and stakeholder who made it to Liaquat Bagh today,” Akram said in a video statement.
Akram announced plans for large-scale protests in Multan, Mianwali, and Faisalabad on Oct. 2, urging supporters to participate. “It is your duty to come out,” he said.
Earlier, former KPK minister and senior PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai said the police had blocked the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway at Hazara interchange, halting the entry of PTI workers.
Yousafzai uploaded a video on social media in which a thick cloud of smoke can be seen in the background.
“You can see that they have started shelling at Attock,” Yousafzai said. “They are shelling unarmed citizens. But God willing, they will not be able to stop us.”
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari warned that anybody coming to the province to “cause trouble” would be sternly dealt with.
“The Punjab Police knows how to treat this problem, when he (KPK Chief Minister Gandapur) comes here, we will teach him a lesson,” Bokhari told a news conference in Lahore.
“We will not allow you (the PTI) to take shelter under the law or the Constitution or human rights,” she said. “Section 144 has been imposed in Rawalpindi and Rangers have been deployed also. And today if anyone tries to interfere in peace and security, if anyone tries to take the law into their hands, tries to block streets or public squares, then the law will deal with them with an iron fist.”
The party has struggled to hold rallies nationwide, facing repeated permission denials amid strained ties with the country’s powerful military.
Last week, authorities forcibly dispersed thousands of PTI supporters in the eastern city of Lahore, cutting off electricity to the rally and taking control of the stage after the event ran past its permitted deadline.
The PTI has faced a crackdown since its supporters allegedly attacked government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after Khan’s brief arrest in a land graft case. Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested, and many remain behind bars awaiting trial. The military has initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.
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