ISLAMABAD: After about two months, the capital police succeeded in getting complete control of the Constitution Avenue from the participants of the sit-ins.

The police are also hopeful that the Cabinet Gate, which was closed after the August 30 violence, would be opened on Friday (today). The police took control of the Constitution Avenue after the number of the marchers decreased to a few hundreds. The police also removed over 80 containers in and around the Red Zone.

The police prsence at the Constitution Avenue remained till August 30. After the violence on the night of August 30, they were pushed back to Margalla Road. Since then, the Cabinet Division remained under the control of PAT activists who also established their checkpoints at D-Chowk and the PTV Chowk.

“The PAT checkpoints were an embarrassment for the police and the capital administration,” a police officer told Dawn, adding the ‘success’ to get back the avenue was achieved after three-day-long negotiations between Special Branch Assistant Inspector General of Police Waqar Chohan and the PAT leaders.

During the negotiations, the PAT leaders agreed to withdraw from the checkposts and hand them over to the police. They however sought an assurance that the Punjab police would not Besides, the presence of the police in the area where the PAT and PTI activists are staging the sit-ins would also be prohibited.

At 5pm, the police got control of the checkpoints and deployed six personnel there, the officials said.

Similarly, 23 flags of PAT were removed from the PTV Chowk and the remaining would be brought down from different parts of the Constitution Avenue on Friday.

Meanwhile, the activists of PAT intercepted a constable of Punjab police at one of the pickets when he was going to the Secretariat. At the picket, he was asked to introduce himself. When the policeman produced his service card, the activists disallowed him to cross the picket. In response, the constable raised an objection which angered the activists who beaten him up.

Later, he was taken to the sit-in area and produced before the PAT security personnel who also beaten him, the officials said, adding the policeman was released after a few hours.

Similarly, the PAT activists also intercepted an ambulance which was carrying three personnel of the Frontier Constabulary (FC). The FC constables – Qudratullah, Sadqat Khan and Sharifullah - had fallen sick and were taken to the Polyclinic from the National Assembly, where they performed duty. They were being shifted back to the National Assembly, when the PAT protesters intercepted them.

After knowing that they were FC personnel, the activists asked the driver to hand them over. However, after his refusal, the police said, the activists attacked the ambulance with batons but the driver sped away.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2014