LAHORE: Amid police raids, arrests and Section 144, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held protests in multiple cities across Punjab on Saturday, observing February 8 as a ‘black day’; this demonstration was in response to the alleged theft of the party’s mandate in the 2024 general elections.
Several party leaders and workers, including the daughter of senior PTI leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Meher Bano, were arrested during the demonstrations. The police took action against the PTI workers for violating Section 144 enforced by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, which barred gatherings, rallies and processions across Punjab.
Protests were held in Lahore, Multan, Okara, Dipalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Khanpur, Haroonabad, Jafarabad, Shakargarh, Chichawatni, Faisalabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffarabad, Sialkot, Gujrat, Kot Addu, Sheikhupura, and Rajanpur. PTI parliamentarians, ticket holders, and workers attended these rallies.
In the provincial capital, the PTI workers held rallies in their respective constituencies, accusing the PML-N government of stealing their mandate and demanding the release of their leader, Imran Khan. PTI leaders Hammad Azhar, Mehar Sharafat, Sardar Latif Khosa, Imtiaz Sheikh, and Muzzammil Salahuddin led the rallies.
PTI Chief Organiser Punjab Aliya Hamza remained active throughout the day, monitoring the rallies across the city. In a video posted on social media, she was seen on a motorbike visiting various parts of the city. On this occasion, she said that she was encouraged to see people coming out onto the streets to protest the theft of their mandate.
In Multan, heavy police contingents were deployed on all main city roads where PTI activists were protesting. Meher Bano and Zahid Bahar Hashmi, along with several party workers, led the protest before being detained by the police. The protest was quickly dispersed after the arrests took place, and the detained individuals were taken to police stations in prisoner vans.
PTI had sought permission to hold a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore, but the Lahore district administration rejected the request, citing concerns over maintaining law and order. Subsequently, the PTI changed their plan and Aliya Hamza instructed the party’s parliamentarians and ticket-holders to hold protests peacefully in their constituencies. She directed them to make the protests effective by coordinating with the workers and holding demonstrations in open spaces and on main roads. She urged them to remain peaceful and not take the law into their hands during the protests.
Commenting on the denial of the request, Lahore District Commissioner Syed Musa Raza explained that the decision was made to avoid disruptions, as significant events were scheduled in Lahore, including a cricket match, an international speaker conference and a horse and cattle show, all requiring extensive security personnel.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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