Police arrest 35 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf activists ahead of protest

Ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest scheduled for October 15, Lahore police have arrested more than 35 PTI activists from various parts of the city, ARY News reported.

According to the details, the Punjab police carried out raids in several regions, including Defence, Kot Lakhpat, and Johar Town, targeting people believed to be involved in organising the PTI protest. The police operation is part of a strategy to maintain law and order and stop any disruptions as Pakistan is set to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit on October 15-16. The leadership of the Imran Khan-founded party has announced that it will hold a protest on October 15 to voice concerns regarding political grievances, which have sparked tensions between Imran Khan’s party and law enforcement agencies, the report said.

It is the first day of the SCO Summit set to be held in Islamabad. Considering these developments, police officials have stressed their commitment to ensuring public safety while also respecting people’s right to protest, ARY News reported. The police’s action came after PTI last week announced a protest after the party held its political committee meeting. In a post on X, PTI’s central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said a ‘powerful’ protest would be held at D-Chowk in Islamabad on October 15.

He said that PTI’s protests in Punjab have been called off and called for the release of PTI workers, leaders, and Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) detained in Punjab, ARY News reported. The Imran Khan-founded party called for an end to ‘unlawful’ raids and arrests by the federal and Punjab government. Sheikh Waqas Akram stated that the PTI chairman’s life is under threat due to the actions of the government, which have ‘stripped’ him of basic human rights. Akram also accused the government of oppression and violence, stressing that PTI will not back down.

He further said, “The entire Pakistan will take to the streets on October 15, if Imran Khan is not granted access to basic rights, family, and party leaders,” the report said. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called on PTI to withdraw its October 15 protest call in the “larger national interest,” Geo News reported. Speaking to reports following his visit to review arrangements for the upcoming SCO meeting, Dar stated that for the sake of politics, it was not good for a political party that had been repeating activities of 2014. Due to PTI’s protest, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit has been postponed, Geo News reported.

Ishaq Dar said that PTI had already crossed all the red lines in the past and targeted the state institutions and urged the party’s leadership to rectify their wrong decision. (ANI) —RSS