Over 150 JI PTI workers arrested in Pakistan's Punjab province for protests against government

By M Zulqernain
     Lahore, Jul 26 (PTI) More than 150 workers of Jamaat-e-Islami and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party were arrested by law enforcement agencies in Pakistan's Punjab province on Friday for planning to stage protests against the hike in electricity bills and demanding the release of former prime minister Imran Khan.
     The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) had planned a sit-in at D-Chowk in Islamabad while Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) announced countrywide demonstrations seeking the immediate release of their founder leader who has been incarcerated at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in multiple cases since August last year.
     "Police have detained over 150 workers of JI and PTI from Lahore, Multan, Gujranwala and Faisalabad districts of Punjab so far. Most of the arrested belong to the JI," a senior police officer said.
     The officer said more arrests were expected.
     JI spokesperson Qaisar Sharif said in a statement that dozens of its workers, who were reaching Islamabad to take part in the anti-inflation protest, were taken into custody.
     Condemning the action of the police, Sharif said that despite the Shehbaz Sharif government's "fascist tactics" the JI workers would hold a sit-in at D-Chowk in Islamabad.
     According to reports, the police in Islamabad also arrested a dozen JI workers who managed to reach the D Chowk despite the barricades erected by the police.
     JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that the government's "fascist tactics" to suppress peaceful protesters would not succeed.
     “We believe in peaceful resistance for the rights of the people. Holding a sit-in is our constitutional and democratic right,” Rehman said.
     Rehman warned the protest demonstrations would spread across the country if the government blocked the JI protesters from entering Islamabad.
     Both the federal and Punjab governments on Thursday evening imposed Section 144 in Islamabad and Punjab, respectively, prohibiting all kinds of political assemblies, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies and other activities till Sunday.
     The PTI said it was fighting a "regime of an unannounced martial law" and the general public also faced excesses in terms of power bills and inflation.
     “We will not back down from our stance an inch and face the incumbent government’s fascism,” it said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)