LAHORE: As the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ kicked off on Wednesday, party’s senior leaders including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Azam Swati and Omer Sarfraz Cheema along with other workers voluntarily surrendered themselves to the Lahore police. In a video message, PTI Vice President Fawad Chaudhry confirmed the arrest of numerous party leaders and workers including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and Ejaz Chaudhry.
“Around 500-700 PTI workers have surrendered before police,” he claimed. While speaking from inside the police van, Qureshi said he was happy and satisfied and urged the masses to break the shackles of fear.
As the crowd grew, police barred everyone, including officials, from entering the Capital City Police Office (CCPO) where the party workers had gathered. Many of the party’s senior leaders and activists boarded a prison van with several workers also climbing onto the roof of the van.
PTI media cell claimed that Muhammad Madni, Murad Ras, Ihsan Dogar, Siddique Khan, Azam Niazi, Abdul Wakel Shadi Khan, Gulfarm Virk, M Rahem, Hamed Ullah Khan, Mian Shazad, Noran Sohail, Rana Manan, Ch Zahid, Malik Sajid Prince, M Ahmad Bhatti, Shazad Khokhar, Azar Bhatti also gave voluntarily arrest to the police. When contacted, police clarified that these arrests were entirely voluntary. Police did not arrest them as they came and sat in the prison van.
It may be mentioned here that PTI Chairman Imran Khan after sedition cases registered against his party leaders including Fawad Chaudhry, Swati and Shahbaz Gill had announced the movement on February 4.
To invigorate party workers for the movement, Khan also released a video message urging them to ‘fill up prisons and shatter the idols of fear’. He called on all Pakistanis to join the movement to achieve ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ (true freedom).
Meanwhile, the Punjab government decided that the criminal histories and tax and bank records of people arrested under the PTI’s voluntary arrest drive will be thoroughly scrutinized. If anyone is found involved in corruption or criminal cases, immediate action will be taken against them, sources privy to the Punjab government said.
The sources added that all law enforcement agencies have been mobilized in the run-up to the PTI’s movement, adding since jails in the provincial capital are brimming to capacity the arrested individuals would have to be sent to jails in other cities like Mianwali and DG Khan. It also decided that women and poor workers would not be detained during the PTI movement. However, ‘miscreants’ would be arrested and law and order would be ensured in the country at all costs. Moreover, records of those arrested will be maintained and their activities will be mentioned in their character certificates, the sources said.
The PTI supporters started gathered outside the residence of PTI Chairman Imran Khan to launch the movement. On this occasion, Qureshi addressed the workers and asked them to be ready for a great cause the PTI has been pursuing. He said the PTI chief had told him not to offer himself for arrest, as he was the ‘number two leader’ after the party chief, but he decided to set a tradition of party leaders giving arrest first instead of the workers.
He also talked about the alleged campaign being run by the PML-N against the judiciary while detailing the reason for the party’s movement. “The attack that the PML-N leadership has carried out on the judiciary was unprecedented. I request the legal fraternity that it should not remain silent and should play its role to defend the judiciary. An institution was being threatened and obstacles were being created in their working while respected judges were being insulted.”
Later, hundreds of PTI activists from Zaman Park and the Jail Road began their journey toward Mall Road. Several roads witnessed a traffic jam but the party supporters seemed enthusiastic.
While addressing the PTI activists at Chairing Cross, the PTI Vice Chairman castigated the coalition government for failing to control inflation and the mini-budget. He averred that the rulers came to power to control inflation and fix the economy but they did nothing. He urged the people to take to the streets and protest against the rulers.
PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said the PTI has launched the movement to protest against inflation, economic meltdown and violation of human rights. He held the incumbent rulers for the mess in the country; “these rulers were a product of regime change operation”. He warned that they would not silently watch the common man’s pain who was struggling hard to feed his family; “the imported government was not acceptable at any cost”. PTI leaders Ejaz Chaudhary, Jamshaid Cheema, Umer Safraz Cheema, Waleed Iqbal and others also spoke on the occasion.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023