LAHORE, March 15: Police detained over 40 leaders and activists of opposition parties along with over a dozen lawyers, including presidents of Lahore High Court Bar Association and Lahore Bar Association, to thwart opposition’s protest against the suspension of justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.
Official sources told Dawn that raids started about Thursday midnight in different parts of the city.
The raids were conducted on the residences and offices of the members and leaders of opposition parties.
The police reportedly detained LHCBA president Ahsan Bhoon and his driver Sikandar, besides LBA president Syed Muhammad Shah, Pakistan Bar Council member Kazim Khan and Punjab Bar Council head Hakam Qureshi from their respective offices.
“Only active and trouble-making leaders and workers are being detained to keep them away from the opposition’s strike and protest march,” a senior police officer said requesting anonymity.
The police also detained Ziaullah Ansari, Ali Imran and Faisal Jutt of Jamaat Islami and some others under detention orders, the sources said.
According to opposition spokesmen, Khawaja Ahmad Hassan, Bashir Nizami, Aamir Asghar Dar, Muhammad Aslam, Rana Tanveer, Qari Hanif and scores of workers had been detained in different police stations of the city.
They further claimed that the police also raided the houses of PML-N leaders MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique, Mian Marghoob Ahmed, MPA Mujtaba Shuja Khawaja, Inamullah Niazi, Imran Nazir and Imran Ali Goraia. The raids were also conducted to nab PPPP leaders Azizur Rehman Chan, Zakaria Butt and others but none of them could be arrested.
HIGH ALERT: Police have been put on a high alert in view of the joint protest by lawyers and opposition parties on Friday (today).
Around 3,500 police will perform security duty.
Official sources told Dawn that a meeting of divisional SPs was held under the SSP operations on Thursday night to finalise a strategy to prevent the protest.
The SPs were directed to continue raids to nab active leaders and workers of opposition parties and prominent leaders of lawyers.
Police will be deployed in and around all the government buildings, including the Governor’s House, Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Punjab Assembly and Lahore High Court.
Capital City Police Officer Malik Muhammad Iqbal said the police would take a stern action against those violating section 144.