RAWALPINDI, Nov 17: Several women and elderly people were injured after police baton-charged protest rallies of Pakistan People’s Party held in Rawalpindi and Gujar Khan. About two dozen leaders and workers were arrested. The rallies were held against the imposition of emergency.

Raja Pervez Ashraf, Zamarud Khan, Malik Hakmeen Khan, Raja Tariq Kiani, Raja Tanveer Akhtar and president of PPP Gujar Khan Raja Shaukat Hayat Raja Imran Kami, Sumaira Gul, Azra Younis, Saira Asif, Dr Faiza, Gulnar Khan, Atif Kiani, Jaafar Shah, Rashid Nasim Abbasi, Qazi Ishfaq, Babu Idrees, Mohammad Anwar, Abid Mehmood, Riasat Abbas and Malik Sher Ahmed were among the arrested.

Led by former MNA Zamurd Khan, the PPP supporters took out a rally and were marching towards the capital when a heavy contingent of police attacked them to prevent the rally from entering Islamabad.

The PPP supporters tried to assure the police that they would remain peaceful but the police threatened them of dire consequences if the protesters continued the rally.

Some angry party workers burnt tyres on the Murree Road, trigerring baton-charge.

As the police was fighting PPP workers at Faizabad, another procession led by Nazim of Satellite Town Mian Imran Hayat appeared at Chandni Chowk and started pelting stones on police, completely halting traffic on Murree Road.

A large number of minority members led by Nazim Sohail Ishtiaq also joined the rally and shouted anti-government slogans and vowed to continue the struggle for restoration of democracy and judiciary.

The injured included Naib Nazim Nasir Mir, Sohil Pasha, Tahir Gondal, Sher Zaman and Jamil Qureshi.

Our Correspondent adds from Gujar Khan: PPP secretary-general Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was arrested at the Mandra toll plaza when he tried to proceed to Islamabad.

Later, local party workers brought out a rally and but they were rounded up by the local police.

Before his arrest, Raja Pevaiz briefly addressed the media personnel and party workers, condemning the present regime he said that people’s basic and political rights were being brutally crushed during this tyrannical rule.

He said that PPP workers, lawyers and journalists were being arrested and harassed all over the country but it would have no effect on the movement for restoration of the constitution and withdrawal of emergency.