Over 250 workers of Imran Khan’s party arrested

Lahore. Over 250 workers of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party were arrested in clashes in Punjab province on Tuesday, a day before the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) proposed massive march in Islamabad. A policeman also died in the clash. Khan has called for a march in the capital Islamabad on May 25 to pressurize the government to hold mid-term elections. Punjab government spokesman Ataullah Tarar said that the Punjab Police has so far arrested more than 250 PTI activists in the province. However, he denied PTI’s claim that over 1,000 party workers and office bearers have been arrested in Punjab alone. Tarar said action was on and more arrests were likely.

Not allowed to join the march!
The Punjab government spokesperson said, the government will not allow any person from Punjab to participate in Imran Khan’s long march, which aims to disturb the peace of the country. Information secretary of opposition PTI and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry said the police raided the residences of 1,100 party leaders and workers. “Despite all the fascist tactics, PTI’s ‘Azadi March’ will reach Islamabad on Wednesday,” he said. In Lahore, police constable Kamal Ahmed was killed in a clash with PTI workers during raids on their homes. The ruling PML-N leadership blamed former prime minister Khan for the death of the policeman.

Imran said, this is not politics but jihad
Earlier on Sunday, while announcing the Islamism March, former Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that this is not politics but jihad. Khan said, I will meet you on the Srinagar highway in Islamabad on 25 (May). I want everyone (all sections) to come because this is jihad, not politics. I have decided and told my entire team that we have to be ready to sacrifice our lives. Addressing a press conference after his party’s core committee meeting in Peshawar, Khan said the march would turn into a dharna and it would continue till their demands were met, Dawn newspaper reported. March will continue. “The main demand of the march to the capital is the immediate dissolution of the National Assembly and pressurize to fix the date for the next general election,” he said during a press conference.