SHANGLA/BAJAUR: Additional district and sessions judges in Shangla’s Alpuri and Chakesar tehsils on Sunday sent 16 activists of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, who were arrested on Saturday, to a prison in Swat for holding protest rallies against the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan in Toshakhana case, thus violating the Section 144.

The Shangla administration had imposed Section 144 on Saturday, banning gatherings for a month. However, the PTI activists agitated against the arrest of their party chairman, forcing the administration to launch a crackdown on them for violating the ban.

Sub-divisional police officer, Puran, Sher Hassan led raids and arrested seven activists, including Puran tehsil chairman Abdul Maula. They were later produced before the judicial magistrate on duty in Alpuri, who sent them to a prison in Swat.

PTI’s Insaf Lawyers’ Forum president Jawad Ali Noor Advocate told Dawn that nine activists, including three brothers of Bisham tehsil council chairman, were sent to jail in Swat by an additional sessions judge, Chakesar, who turned down the police request for a 15-day physical custody of them.

He said the Bisham police had registered FIRs against 15 PTI activists, and arrested nine of them on Saturday.

The lawyer said they had already submitted applications for obtaining bail of the arrested workers.

Meanwhile, the police booked five local leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in Bajaur tribal district for violating the Section 144, and blocking roads and inciting the public during their protests against the arrest of party chairman Imran Khan on Saturday, officials said on Sunday.

They told Dawn that Nawagai tehsil council chairman Dr Khalilur Rahman, Rehan Zeb Khan, Luqman Khan, Abdul Haq and Mujib Danish were booked for staging a protest in the Khar Bazaar on Saturday.

The FIR was registered at a local police station on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Mambar Khan, in-charge of Khar Bazaar police post.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2023