ISLAMABAD: Thousands of charged loyalists of jailed founding chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and ex-premier Imran Khan, from across the country, launched the “decisive” long march on Sunday towards federal capital, removing all the barricades set up by the government to stop their way.

The convoys of PTI leaders especially those headed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in his political capacity as provincial president of the party, Bushra Bibi, the wife of Imran Khan, and other senior leaders from different parts countrywide, were on their way to D-Chowk, till filing of this report late Sunday night.

In a bid to foil the long march, the police also arrested hundreds of PTI supporter from twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad as residents took to the streets in big numbers to voice strong support to Khan’s final call, pressing the government to meet their three demands – release of PTI political members from jails, abolishment of 26th controversial Constitutional Amendment and return of PTI’s “stolen mandate.”

Islamabad sealed ahead of planned PTI rally

The main convoy headed by Gandapur was at Hazro in Attock, when this report was filed, despite heavy contingents of the police to prevent the marchers from proceeding to Islamabad.

The reports received from multiple sources confirmed that Gandapur’s convoy had thousands protesters, which created panic in the ruling circles. As a result, the police resorted to heavy shelling, baton charging, rubber bullet firing, pelting stone, etc, but the protesters remained undeterred and kept overcoming the obstacles.

The eye witnesses told Business Recorder on telephone from Hazro that the number of protesters in the convoy was thrice the size of the previous march that took place last month.

The participation of Bushra Bibi in the rally, who also kept addressing the protesters, proved to be a cause of great concern, which feared that her presence would attract the protesters in massive numbers.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi took an aerial view of the convoy, followed by suspension of internet service in the twin cities as well as the areas from where convoys were moving.

The suspension of telecom services was also reported from some parts of the country.

Scores of protesters and some policemen were injured during clashes between police and PTI protesters, as protesters pelted stone at law enforcers at Dhok Kala Khan, Khana Pul and Faizabad areas of Rawalpindi.

The injured policemen were shifted to nearby hospitals for medical treatment. The police also managed to arrest a good number of protesters while other managed to escape to the arrest.

In a post on X, the PTI shared what it said were “visuals of the extreme shelling by fascist regime against own citizens at Islamabad Express”.

The PTI, in another post on X, claimed that the convoy of National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub was targeted near Taxila and shells were fired at it.

PTI MNA Sher Afzal Marwat shared a video of his brother Khalid Latif Khan saying his convoy was stopped at Daud Khel and was fired at with “strict teargas shelling”.

However, he asserted, “We will reach D Chowk in any circumstance.”

In another video, Khalid said that police had been shelling the convoy for over an hour and a half.

“We had to face heavy shelling for an hour-and-a-half to two hours,” he said. “Thankfully now, the path has been cleared and we should leave (for D Chowk) within an hour-and-a-half to two hours.”

Earlier in the day, the PTI claimed a “family that had reached D Chowk last night” had been arrested, sharing a video of a woman speaking from inside a prisoner van while another was taken inside too.

The woman asked for the reason for being detained, saying, “Okay, we can say sorry that we should not have come to this area.”

In another post, the PTI shared a video without specifying the location, saying: “The fascist regime has started, as expected, tear gas shelling against peaceful Pakistanis.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024