LAHORE: Club-wielding activists of Pakistan Awami Tehreek and riot police clashed at a few places in Model Town and Faisal Town on Friday, leaving nine policemen injured.

As activists pelted anti-riot policemen with stones, police resorted to tear-gas shelling and baton-charge to disperse activists who later attacked police with clubs.

Heavy police contingents backed by anti-riot vehicles deployed at roads leading to Model Town M-Block retreated at one point of time because of repeated attacks by PAT activists.

Some television footages showed the protesters capturing policemen and beating them with clubs.

Some youngsters also stopped a police bus carrying policemen on Maulana Shaukat Ali Road, reportedly broke its windowpanes and kept it detained for a few minutes.

A large group of activists while using masks and clubs reached near Fasial Town traffic signal chowk around 6:35pm along with a crane they brought from the Minhajul Quran Secretariat and removed two containers forcibly from the road. They then moved to near-by Marian Chowk in Model Town and removed barriers and barbed wire. After the mob dispersed, police again placed the containers and barbed wire at the same places.

Model Town incident haunts police

Clashes between PAT activists and policemen continued in intervals between 6:30pm and 9pm and policemen, most of the time, remained defensive apparently to avoid the June 17-like episode.

A police officer, who was leading riot police on Maulana Shaukat Ali Road, complained of absence of policemen from duty. He told Dawn that it appeared that policemen were afraid of confronting activists because of Model Town incident as on a few occasions they escaped from the spot during clashes.

Tear-gas used by police not only created respiratory and eye problems for PAT activists, but also affected policemen who were seen washing their eyes.

Acting Capital City Police Officer Zulfiqar Hameed told Dawn that at least nine policemen, including two station house officers, were brought to the Jinnah Hospital for treatment with multiple injuries.

He claimed not a single PAT activist suffered injury. PAT’s Punjab spokesman Mushtaq Ahmad, however, said 28 of their workers were injured who were treated at Minhaj dispensary.

The CCPO said the clashes broke out around 6:30pm when PAT activists equipped with clubs, stones, shields and tear-gas kept attacking policemen who resisted removal of containers.

He said policemen would remain deployed in and around Model Town and Faisal Town, Township with containers to establish the government’s writ.

Police also claimed seizing a tractor trolley loaded with bricks that had been brought by PAT workers for stoning police.

Published in Dawn, Aug 9th, 2014