Islamabad, Feb 8: Several Pakistani leaders of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were arrested as the party on Saturday held rallies to mark February 8 as the ‘Black Day’ against the alleged rigging of general elections last year.
The PTI has planned its main rally in Swabi, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the party is in power. It has also asked its workers and supporters to protest across the country.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said the ‘Black Day’ was being marked in protest against the “historic theft of the people’s mandate”.
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“Black Day will be observed every year and this year a rally will be held in Swabi on February 8,” Gandapur said, calling PTI supporters and workers to protest in every city in Pakistan.
“Record your protest wherever you are,” Gandapur said.
Addressing the government’s alleged involvement in last year’s November 26 and May 9, 2023, events, Gandapur claimed the ruling party was afraid to form a judicial commission to investigate these matters.
The government has responded by imposing Section 144 in Islamabad and other areas, which bans all political assemblies, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, and other activities “to maintain law and order.”
Section 144 has also been imposed across Punjab. A Home Department spokesperson said the decision was taken to maintain law and order and protect human lives and property.
He maintained that “public processions and sit-ins can be soft targets for terrorists”.
The spokesperson said the decision to impose Section 144 was taken on the recommendation of the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order and the Provincial Intelligence Committee.
In Multan, PTI leaders Meher Bano Qureshi, Zahid Bahar Hashmi, and Dalir Meher were detained by police at Pull Chatta for violating Section 144.
Over 10 PTI workers were also arrested for attempting to hold a rally in the area, Geo News reported.
Meanwhile, in Muzaffarabad, several PTI workers were detained for attempting to protest at Azadi Chowk. Some of them however managed to flee when security forces cracked down on the demonstrators.
PTI leader Khawaja Farooq escaped police custody when he was placed in a worker’s car instead of a police vehicle.
The driver, sensing the situation, drove off before police could react. Officers chased the car on foot but were unable to apprehend him.
However, Farooq, who is also the leader of the opposition in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s legislative assembly, was later arrested, an official said.
The official said 16 others were also arrested.
Separately, Section 144 was imposed across Balochistan for 15 days.
Shahid Rind, the Balochistan government spokesperson, said the Home Department had issued an official notification.
“There will be a complete ban on the display and use of weapons and a ban has been imposed on sit-ins, processions and gatherings of more than five people for 15 days,” it said.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif accused the PTI of using government machinery and employees to fill its February 8 public gathering in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In a post on X, Asif said that despite being in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI continued to allege election rigging. He further alleged the province’s public funds would be misused to organise the event.
“If you want to hold a political gathering, come to Punjab, Sindh, or Balochistan — places where you claim injustice has been done to you,” he said.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari questioned the relevance of the ‘Black Day’ and said: “The party marking Black Day is in power in KP. What have the people there gained?”
In a press conference in Lahore, Bokhari further criticised the provincial government’s performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suggested the people there only received long tales of corruption.
She accused the PTI of trying to drag the entire country into its misery and said: “While PTI itself cries, it wants to make the entire nation weep.”
Bokhari also raised concerns about the new party president in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, claiming that he demanded tax money for a rally in Swabi. (PTI)
