The PML-N on Wednesday demanded that caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Hasan Askari Rizvi take action against the arrest of over 200 party workers form Rawalpindi and the imposition of Section 144 in Lahore ahead of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz's scheduled arrival in the city on Friday.

In a letter authored by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, chairman of the party's Central Media Committee, the party complained that over 200 of its workers were arrested from Rawalpindi on Tuesday after frivolous cases against PML-N leaders and workers were registered.

Rawalpindi Police spokesperson Imran Kazmi had earlier confirmed that around 100 PML-N workers were arrested for participating in the rally which culminated in the arrest of retired captain Safdar, as it had blocked a road and flouted other rules in the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) Code of Conduct.

The police had registered four cases against PML-N workers for their participation in the rally.

Around 26 other workers of the party were arrested yesterday for attending a breakfast hosted by a PML-N candidate, for which a road had been blocked.

A total of 105 workers were presented in different courts today as police sought judicial remand; 37 were granted bail, while PML-N leaders Abbasi and Zaibun Nisa were granted pre-arrest bail.

The letter authored by Senator Syed termed the imposition of Section 144 in Lahore a "draconian" measure which is "contrary to the spirit of democracy and free and fair elections".

The party sought a redressing of these measures, warning the chief minister that it would otherwise presume that the caretaker setup is complicit in pre-poll rigging.

Hanif Abbasi, also a party candidate from Rawalpindi, further complained that the administration was favouring his opponent Sheikh Rashid as he is losing on both National Assembly seats he is contesting on.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...