RAWALPINDI - The law enforcement agencies (LEAs) have intensified crackdowns against Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers detaining more than 15 activists from various areas, sources told The Nation on Thursday.
The areas from where police and other LEAs picked up PAT workers during raids included Cannt and Garrison, Misrial Road, Allah Abad, Peshawar Road, Taxila, Gujar Khan, Murree, Wah Cantt, Ratta Amral, People’s Colony, Shelley Valley, Kottli Sattian and Jatli. The arrested workers were identified as Qari Munir Ahmed, Zia, Ghulam Mustafa and father and brother of Rizwan, who went underground.
According to police, a case under MPO 16 has been registered against all the detainees. Sources said PAT workers were moving to safer places to avoid arrest.
PAT city secretary information Suhail Abbasi alleged that police and other LEAs were entering in the homes of PAT workers and leaders in darkness with the help of ladders and harassing women, violating the sanctity of boundary wall.
Talking to The Nation, PAT city secretary information Suhail Abbasi confirmed arrest of 15 PAT workers. He said police and LEAs were conducting raids on the houses and even shops of PAT workers and harassing the family members including women. He said those arrested were not taken to police stations and detained at some undisclosed locations. Abbasi said a heavy contingent of police entered into Malik Manzoor’s house by placing ladders with boundary walls and warned females to bar their men from participating in any activity against government or else strict action would be taken against them. He added that in another incident, police stormed into shop of PAT PP-10 candidate Haji Zaheer-ul-Islam at Shelley Valley and lifted his sales boys. Father and brother of Rizwan, another PAT worker, were also picked up by police when they found Rizwan absent from his home during a raid, he added.
On the other hand, Rawalpindi police bosses have called extra force, most of them in civvies, and assigned them task to arrest PAT workers. According to sources, a high level meeting was also held in commissioner office to chalk out further line of action to bar PAT and PTI workers from participating in Azadi March on August 14. The meeting was reportedly attended by Regional Police Officer (RPO) Umar Akhtar Hayyat Lalayka, city police officer (CPO), SPs of Saddar, Potohar and Rawal Division, commissioner Rawalpindi division, SP special branch and many others.