Heavy stone pelting on police from inside Chairman PTI’s residence (Zaman Park), police used water commission and Shiang, police were pushed back due to the workers.
Protests were suspended at Canal Road, Jail Rodale, Babu Sabu and Liberty Market, Sialkot, Wazirabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Multan, Quetta, and other cities. (Zaman Park)
LAHORE (Mian Aslam, Talib Faridi, Nauman Sheikh, Saqib Saleem Butt, Syed Musharraf Shahid, Rep. Express) Islamabad Police after the court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The team was found in Zaman Park on Tuesday afternoon along with a heavy contingent of Lahore Police, where it faced stiff resistance from the PTI workers and the entire area turned into a battleground with wayward thugs. The police operation to arrest Imran Khan continued for about seven hours, the police shelled the activists many times and the stock of tear gas with the police was exhausted so the police could not succeed in their goal until late at night. More than a dozen officials, including DIM Islamabad Shahzad Bukhari, were injured due to stabbings from inside the residence of Chairman PTI. The injured DIG and other officials were shifted to Services Hospital for medical treatment. After strong resistance from the workers, the police started using water cannons and shelling, many of which were fired inside the residence of Imran Khan, the police blocked all the roads leading to Zaman Park. The situation of many women including Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Zartaj Gul was lost due to shilling. But due to the attacks and severe stone pelting by the activists, the police were forced back, after which the Rangers were also called in to control the situation. Three companies of Rangers have been deployed around Zaman Park, and the Punjab Home Department has also issued a notification for the deployment of Rangers. More personnel have been called from various police stations and police lines in Lahore. CCPO Lahore Bilal Siddique Kamiana and DIG Operations also reached Zaman Park. Intermittent clashes continued till late at night. DIG Operations Islamabad Shehzad Bukhari, head of the Islamabad police team that came to comply with the court orders, said that they have arrest warrants for Imran Khan, for which two Zamans have come to Park. Two police officers also held placards in their hands to receive the warrant of arrest. Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Musarat Jamshed Cheema has claimed that internet service has been suspended in the vicinity of Zaman Park. Due to friction between the police and PTI workers, other residents of Zaman Park were confined to their homes, which could be badly affected by the tear gas shelling. Construction of Zaman Pak continued by helicopter, PTI workers protested at 6 other places in Lahore due to which tracks were suspended at Canal Road, Jail Road Bridge, Babu Sabu, and Liberty Market, besides. Due to the protest in Dharampur and Bios Chowk, the track system was disrupted. Clashes took place several times between the police and PTI workers on Mall Road, during which the police also shelled the maid worker present there, the PTI workers also set fire to the water cannon and disabled it. After strong resistance from the workers, the police and Rangers had to return empty-handed, the operation was called off by the police, while there were rumors that the police and Rangers could resume the operation at any time. Armored vehicles of the police were also present along with the police. On the news of Imran Khan’s arrest, PTI workers started protesting in other cities of the country as well. In Sialkot, Tehreek-e-Insaf workers led a protest at Rangpura Chowk under the leadership of central leader Usman Dar.
