SAHIWAL: Police conducted raids on the residences of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers and office-bearers in Sahiwal and Pakpattan districts on Saturday night, allegedly to prevent them from organising “Pakistan Zindabad Rallies” announced by the party’s Punjab leadership.

Reports indicate that police arrested 22 PTI workers in Pakpattan, while no arrest could be made in Sahiwal.

Sources say that SHOs of some three dozen police stations were tasked with visiting PTI activists’ residences in both rural and urban areas of the both district, besides setting up special pickets to restrict the movement of the party workers.

They say that in Pakpattan, police conducted 34 door-to-door visits and 53 raids on houses of the party workers and leaders, besides establishing 13 pickets on major exit routes.

Rao Hashim, the PTI ticket-holder for NA-139, Pakpattan, in the last general election told Dawn that Farid Nagar police had locked his residence and deployed policemen outside the building for over seven hours.

No party activist could be held in Sahiwal

PTI Sahiwal district president Rana Aftab said the party office at Bhandari Chowk was repeatedly raided by the Elite Force and Fateh Sher police, who removed banners, flexes, and party flags.

Sources says that Sahiwal police raided the houses of PTI office-bearers and workers, including Shahbaz Murdana, Rizwan Muzaffar, Muhammad Yar Damra, Chaudhry Asif Ali and Rana Safder but failed to make any arrest.

Rana Aftab said the purpose of the March 23 protest call was to demand the release of PTI’s founding chairman Imran Khan.

PTI parliamentarians from Chichawatni Rai Murtaza and Rai Hasan Nawaz confirmed that no arrests were made in Chichawatni or Sahiwal. However, workers and activists were reportedly harassed through late-night door-to-door visits and surveillance, they added.

The sources say that two days ago, Aliya Hamza Malik, PTI Punjab president, had visited Sahiwal and held a meeting with the party workers at the residence of Rana Amir Shahzad, PTI ticket-holder for NA-161, assigning them the task to mobilise workers for March 23 protest.

Meanwhile, most of the PTI local leaders did not hoist national flags at their residences and party offices in both districts.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2025