LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Friday held maiden meeting of a committee formed to assess and review torture unleashed against the party workers, supporters and other citizens during its “peaceful” long march on Islamabad on May 25.

Party leader Shafqat Mahmood, while chairing the meeting, said Chief Minister Parvez Elahi had been requested to quash the FIRs registered against the party workers, supporters and others lodged at the behest of the PML-N government, besides withdrawing the detention orders.

Mr Mahmood said disciplinary action would be taken against the government officers, who acted beyond their powers to stop May 25 long march. He said barging in the houses and torturing the residents was illegal.

He said the party workers were continuously insisting that the PTI and PML-Q coalition government should take action against the officers allegedly resorting to resorting atrocities.

Mr Mahmood said the party had a record of video footage and other evidence of such illegal actions, saying the government officers should have not gone beyond their powers to “appease their PML-N bosses”.

He said the family of a party worker, Faisal, who allegedly died after being pushed from the Ravi bridge, would be provided justice by apprehending the culprits. The committee members, including PTI’s Yasmin Rashid and PMLQ’s Raja Basharat, decided to meet again next week.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2022