ISLAMABAD: Police on Saturday detained over 40 workers as well as three leaders of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) in two separate ‘clashes’ on Srinagar Highway in a bid to stop the political party from organising a rally in support of Palestine, allegedly without prior permission from the district administration.

JI Information Secretary Sajjad Ahmad Abbasi told Dawn that JI Islamabad chief Nasarullah Randhawa, and his deputies Kashif Chaudhry and Dr Farooq were also detained. Mr Abbasi said the party was preparing for the ‘Gaza March’ slated to be held on Oct 29 (Sunday) when a police contingent arrived at the venue and uprooted their camps.

Sharing information about the protest, the spokesperson said the JI approached the capital administration almost two weeks ago and sought permission in writing to organise the rally from Faizabad to the US embassy in the Diplomatic Enclave.

He claimed the political party reportedly altered the route of the march twice at the administration’s request – initially, from Zero Point to Dhokri Chowk and later from Sports Complex to Dhokri Chowk.

JI claims to have permission for rally; police deny

Mr Abbasi said JI leader Kashif Chaudhry approached Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon after the official did not respond to JI’s request for NOC to organise the protest rally. Subsequently, DC Memon allowed the JI to hold the march “on WhatsApp”, he added.

After the approval of the deputy commissioner, preparations for the march were underway at Srinagar Highway, with the party setting up camps and installing a sound system. “In the afternoon, a heavy contingent of police reached the site…and started uprooting their camps and confiscated their equipment on the pretext of Section 144 and lack of permission from the administration for the protest rally,” the JI spokesperson claimed.

The action resulted in a verbal altercation between the JI workers and the police, which subsequently led to a physical confrontation, the spokesperson said, adding that the JI workers pelted the police with stones. The police resorted to baton-charge and teargas shelling.

The police managed to round up at least three JI leaders and over two dozen workers and moved them to the Secretariat police station, he added.

In response to the police crackdown, the JI leaders gathered on the Srinagar Highway to address a press conference. This prompted another round of confrontation between the JI and the police, he said, adding that the police detained more than 20 workers and shifted them to the lock-up.

In a comment on the law and order situation, a police spokesman said the arrests were made as “some people were attempting to block the Srinagar Highway”.

“The highway is an inter-provincial connectivity road and blocking the road creates problems for the public,” he added. The police advised them to follow prevalent procedures for peaceful protests.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2023