Party leaders including Amir Dogar, Rai Hassan Nawaz Khan and Zain Qureshi among hundreds of workers arrested in crackdown launched in various cities of Punjab.  Gandapur pledges to reach D-Chowk in Islamabad at any cost and hold protest till release of Imran Khan.

LAHORE, ISLAMABAD, PESHAWAR  -  Main cities of Punjab especially Lahore and the federal capital witnessed clashes between the PTI workers and police followed by arrests of hundreds of protesters and party leaders who were managing to reach D-Chowk, Islamabad, on protest call of their incarcerated leader Imran Khan.

The main rally, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, is en route to Islamabad from Peshawar. However, they encountered intense tear gas shelling from law enforcement agencies personnel as it entered into Punjab on its way towards Islamabad.

The convoys, departing from Swabi, moved steadily into Punjab territory but were met with police resistance near the Attock Bridge, Chach Interchange, and Ghazi Barotha Canal, where officers used heavy tear gas to disperse PTI supporters. Addressing the crowd before departing Swabi, the chief minister urged the party members to move forward, declaring, “We must advance and not turn back until Imran Khan is released.” Later, at a brief halt at Ghazi, he rallied supporters, telling them to “prepare, as we will need to confront further resistance ahead.”

PTI leadership has announced plans to gather at specific locations before marching to Islamabad, where they intend to hold a sit-in at D-Chowk. Despite government efforts to block access to the city, the party has vowed to continue their protest and push for the release of Imran Khan and other demands.

Gandapur has affirmed that PTI will remain at D-Chowk until their demands are met, regardless of roadblocks or containers obstructing their path.

“We will bring our own private machinery to remove obstacles and reach Islamabad,” Gandapur declared.

Meanwhile, PTI workers pelted police personnel with stones at Faizabad, Rawalpindi while attempting to enter Islamabad. Due to heavy police deployment, the PTI protesters failed to achieve their objectives and ended up pelting police with stones.

The police said no miscreant will be allowed to take law into their own hands. Action will be taken against the miscreants as per law, and they will be dealt with with iron hands, they added.

In Lahore, clashes erupted between police and PTI workers amid protests.

The PTI protests led to widespread disruption in Lahore, with clashes reported between police and party workers on Lytton Road. The confrontation resulted in several PTI workers being detained, including prominent activists like Hafiz Zeeshan, while others, including PTI leader Nadeem Abbas Bara, managed to evade arrest.

DIG Operations Faisal Kamran confirmed that police detained over 150 PTI workers for violating section 144, which has been imposed across Punjab for three days, banning all forms of public gatherings and protests. Kamran reiterated that legal action would be taken against anyone breaching the law.

To prevent the PTI protestors from gathering, Lahore’s key entry and exit points were sealed with containers and barriers. Major roads, including the Babu Sabu interchange, Ravi Bridge, and Shahdara-Batti Chowk routes, were completely closed, causing significant inconvenience to commuters. The city’s motorway connections, including routes to Islamabad, were also shut down, leaving many stranded.

PTI’s chief whip Aamir Dogar and party leader Zain Qureshi have been arrested by the Punjab police.

PTI MNA from Chichawatni, Rai Hassan Nawaz Khan, was also arrested, with police taking him along with his vehicle.

PTI Lahore president Sheikh Imtiaz talking to The Nation admitted that despite the PTI’s earlier announcement of a sit-in protest at Batti Chowk, heavy police presence prevented workers from assembling at the dedicated venue.

In Gujranwala’s Tatlay Aali area, former PTI MNA Bilal Ijaz joined party workers in their march on Islamabad in violation of Section 144. As the police attempted to block their way, the workers started thrashing them and forced them to flee from the spot to save their lives.

The city police, however, managed to arrest six workers and shifted them to the local station. PTI Central Punjab President Rana Bilal Ijaz and the district president reportedly escaped from police custody during the chaos.

In Attock, the convoy of PTI workers reaching motorway M-1 from Ghazi started pelting stones with police right in the front. The PTI workers also lit a fire on the motorway, as the authorities issued warnings against such acts.

Meanwhile, on the Faisalabad-Sargodha Road, PTI workers pelted police with stones near the interchange. Over 400 individuals, including an MPA, were arrested on charges of violating Section 144 and resorting to stone-pelting. A heavy contingent of police was summoned to Sargodha Road to control the situation.

In Dera Ismail Khan, similar clashes occurred at the Isakhel Interchange, where the police force fired tear gas shells at PTI workers, who attacked the law enforcers. Police were forced to retreat and run for their lives.

Tensions also ran high on Sialkot’s Paris Road as PTI’s women workers faced off with police. The confrontation led to the arrests of several workers.

PTI leader Rehana Dar, leading a convoy from Khawaja Safdar Road, arrived on Paris Road holding the PTI flag, accompanied by party supporters. When police attempted to disperse the rally, citing Section 144 restrictions, the women workers protested against the action, resulting in several arrests.

PTI-backed MPA Basharat Dogar has been arrested from Sargodha Road, as per sources. On the other hand, around 500 PTI workers were arrested for stone-pelting on police and violating Section 144, the police said.

In Pakpattan, more than 90 PTI workers have been arrested over violation of Section 144. Local leaders Umar Hashim, Talha Saeed, Tariq Shah, and Mehr Moin are among those arrested.

Earlier, Information Secretary PTI Sheikh Waqas Akram confirmed that Bushra Bibi was part of the PTI convoy while she was travelling in a separate vehicle.

In a post on X, he wrote that Bibi was moving towards Islamabad alongside workers to achieve the targets set by the PTI chief Imran Khan.

The former first lady was quoted as saying this by PTI spokesman that she could not leave workers alone at this crucial moment. She emphasised if PTI expected families to join the workers in the protest, then Khan’s family should be the part of the march by example.

According to Akram, she expressed the confidence that under Khan’s leadership, the goals of the protest would be successfully achieved.

Earlier in the day, some reports emerged that there was a disagreement between KP CM Gandapur and Bibi over the latter’s intention to become part of the protest convoy.

On this, Gandapur prohibited her from the joining, citing difficulties already facing the party. He underlined that there was need to avoid any missteps at this period of time.

Meanwhile, Bibi remained firm in her stance, emphasising that she is acting according to the directives of the PTI chief Khan.