ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers on Sunday celebrated National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri’s ruling in which he dismissed the no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Workers of the PTI gathered at D-Chowk despite barricades and containers placed by the police to avert entry of people towards Red Zone after Deputy Speaker National Assembly dismissed the opposition’s no-confidence motion.

The PTI workers were holding party flags, placards and banners inscribed with slogans in favour of Imran Khan and against the opposition. They chanted slogans “Whoever is a friend of America, is a traitor (America ka jo yar, gaddar hai)”, “Independent foreign policy and autonomous Pakistan”, and slogans against party’s dissident legislators.

The workers who reached the capital from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and twin cities said that they came to celebrate the dismissal of no-trust move and express solidarity with Imran Khan. Protesters said that they are standing firm with Imran Khan and will continue their support, as well as, fight for him. They hoped that the PTI will win the next election and make government to take action against ‘corruption elements’.

They said that the opposition parties had become part of a conspiracy against the homeland. The participation of people in PTI March 27 rally proved that the PTI would clean sweep the next elections, they said.

However, the police took into custody around three female PTI workers who were staging protest in Red Zone before the start of the National Assembly proceedings in the no-trust move tabled against the prime minister.

Meanwhile, strict security arrangements were placed, especially in the Red Zone, in the federal capital, as well as, Section 144 was imposed in the city on Sunday to avoid law and order situation on the occasion of no-confidence motion. Metro bus service also remained suspended.

A heavy contingent of Rangers, Frontier Constabulary (FC), Punjab and Islamabad police were deployed in the city. To avoid any untoward incident during the no-confidence voting the district administration had completely sealed the ‘Red Zone’ area with big containers and barbed wires and tightened security in the federal capital.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022