• Islamabad IGP says 878 ‘rioters’ held; eight cases registered in capital
• Rawalpindi police arrest over 150 activists; two cases registered in Pindi, one in Taxila
• Attock police round up around dozen KP cops, over 50 provincial govt officials

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD/TAXILA: A dozen cases were registered at Islamabad and Rawalpindi police stations and almost 1,000 PTI supporters, including around two dozen Khyber Pakhtunkhwa policemen, arrested after two days of clashes between police and PTI activists who marched on Islamabad to record their protest at D-Chowk.

By Sunday, the protest seemed to have died down, except for a handful of supporters who gathered at Express Chowk and Kulsoom Chowk. But the police broke up the demos and picked up over 45 protesters. Similar protests in Koral, Tarnol, and Sangjani were also suppressed.

In a press conference on Sunday, Islamabad police chief Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said 878 protesters, including 120 Afghan nationals and eight police officials from KP, were arrested while a number of miscreants managed to escape.

He claimed the majority of the Afghans detained by the police were undocumented while some had expired proof of residence (PoR) cards.

IGP Rizvi said 10 cases had been registered at eight police stations in the federal capital under separate sections of laws, including the Anti-Terrorism Act. These FIRs were lodged at Kohsar, CTD, Sumbal, Aabpara, Noon, Tarnol, Sangjani and Industrial Area police stations.

One of the cases registered with the Kohsar police implicated PTI leaders Imran Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, Uzma and Aleema Khan – sisters of Imran – and 500 to 600 other supporters. Besides terrorism charges, sections 440, 427, 365, 324, 186, 188, 353, 341, 148, 149, 395, 506ii, and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code were included in the FIR.

Rawalpindi police

On the other hand, the Punjab police also registered a case at Naseerabad and Taxila police stations on Sunday. A case against protesters had also been registered at the Sadiqabad police station a day earlier.

A total of 150 protesters were rounded up by the district police during two days of PTI’s violent protests, a senior official said.

The Naseerabad police booked 300 PTI workers, out of which 17 were detained on Friday night, whereas raids were underway to arrest the others. The FIR said the protesters, who were carrying batons and petrol bombs, attacked the police, and someone from the mob also fired gunshots in the air, which sparked panic. The protesters also damaged the police van, the FIR said.

The Taxila police, in its FIR, implicated PTI founder Imran Khan and 105 individuals who had been arrested for participating in the protest. The case was lodged by Sub-Inspector Qaiser Mehmood at Taxila police station under 19 different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), including attempted murder, besides sections 7 and 21 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

The FIR claimed the PTI chairman gave a call for protests from Adiala jail, in which various party leaders actively participated.

It said Assistant Sub-Inspector Mohammad Afzal of the Anti-Riot Unit, Saman Rajeesh, Mohammad Riaz, and Mohammad Ramzan were injured by the protesters. The protesters also abducted constable Tasfeen Asghar and later threw him at a deserted spot on the motorway after snatching his anti-riot gear.

The FIR said the police arrested 105 protesters hailing from various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially Dir and Malakand. Sources in the district police claimed that police recovered masks, tear gas shells, and rubber bullets from the detained individuals.

Moreover, as many as 11 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police officials who were participating in PTI’s march were also arrested by Attock police. According to sources, six police officials were taken into custody from Pathargarh near Burhan in the limits of the Hassanabdal police, while five others were arrested near the Burhan interchange.

Sources claimed these policemen were involved in attacks on the law enforcement agencies along with the rioters. According to sources, tear gas shells and stones were also recovered from the KP policemen.

Meanwhile, Attock police reportedly took into custody state machinery brought from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources affiliated with the district administration said.

They said 22 vehicles, including KP’s Rescue 1122 ambulances and fire brigade vehicles, were taken into custody near Burhan and shifted to the Hassanabdal police station.

The sources said over 50 officials of KP rescue services, including medical technicians and firefighters, were also taken into official custody and shifted to unknown locations.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2024