They want us to resort to chaos, but we will not let them succeed,” Hammad Azahr says
LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Wednesday told its workers to return to their homes “peacefully” after a party worker was killed, 21 others were injured in clashes and the police arrested dozens of others for violating Section 144 of the CrPC. The deceased was identified as Ali Bilal alias Zil-e-Shah, a resident of Jahangir Town. He was baton-charged violently, resulting in his death, party leaders said.
PTI alleged that shells were even fired from the premises of Aitchison College by the police. Besides, till the filing of the report, a boy was also reportedly killed due to the use of poisonous substances mixed in the water canon meant to disperse the PTI workers.
At least 11 police personnel including two DSPs and one SHO were also injured due to violence by the PTI workers. DSP Sabzazar and Township SHO Hanjarwal, Constables Irfan, Nadeem, Bilal, Waqar, Abdul Sattar, Ali Ismat, Sikandar, and Ali Hamza were among the injured personnel.
The condition of one of the injured people was said to be critical. Police said that the PTI had announced a pro-judiciary rally and gave a call to its workers to gather at party chief Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence.
The party leaders announced cancelling the rally saying the government wanted bloodshed to make it an excuse for postponing elections. PTI Chairman Imran Khan did not come out of his Zaman Park residence to lead the rally after receiving reports of police arresting and torturing the party activists. In a message on Twitter, he accused the provincial police of brutality and murdering party worker Ali Bilal in clashes near his residence in Lahore. “Ali Bilal unarmed & our dedicated & passionate PTI worker murdered by Punjab police,” the former prime minister said in a tweet. “Shameful, this brutality on unarmed PTI workers, who were coming to attend election rally…
Source: thenews.com.pk
