LAHORE - Warning of more arrests, the Punjab government has put its foot down to crush PTI protest plan in Islamabad.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has announced locking down Islamabad next month to mount pressure on PM Nawaz Sharif to resign and present himself for accountability after Panama leaks exposed the Sharif family assets abroad. The government commenced a clampdown on PTI supporters in the capital the other day when they were holding their youth convention.
“The police and the administration have been instructed to arrest and act according to the law. The PTI youth workers gathered the other day to create unrest and discuss their plan to close down the federal capital,”said Punjab government spokesman Zaeem Qadri.
“No one will be permitted to usurp rights of 180 million people of Pakistan,” the spokesman for a 101.4 million populace province told the media yesterday.
He held the state is responsible for the protection of life and property of citizen. “A handful of miscreants cannot be allowed to disturb life of the whole nation,” he added. “PTI’s insistence on holding protest has perturbed schoolchildren, patients, traders, women and office-goers, but the government wouldn’t let it happen.”
He called Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid ‘rat of Rawalpindi’, who bragged a lot, and now in hiding. “What type of leader Sheikh Rashid is, who ran away leaving his supporters alone?” Qadri questioned. He said the nation has “rejected Imran Khan and his protest as they are fed up with the lies, foul language and intrigues he daily makes.”
Imran Khan levelled allegations against the CM who has now well responded to the same by serving a legal notice, he added.
LHC full bench to take up pleas on detentions
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah has sent the PTI and PAT petitions to full bench for hearing, Online news agency reported.
Ishtiaq Chaudhry, the counsel for Paksitan Awami Tehreek, and PTI counsel Gohar Nawaz Sindhu appeared in the court at the inception of Friday hearing against the arrest of their activists.
Both the counsels told the court that the leaders and workers of the two parties who are staging protest peacefully are being arrested. “The government has evolved lists of active workers in this regard.
“This act on the part of government runs contrary to the constitution, therefore, orders be issued to police to stop arresting them,” they resuested the court.
The CJ, however, sent the petitions to full bench for hearing.
A three-member full bench, headed by Justice Shahid Hameed Dar, will take up the case for hearing from Oct 31.