Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) KP President Azam Khan Swati was arrested by Police here Saturday. Police manhandled Swati along with other workers and shifted them to Margalla Police Station after he refused to disperse along with other party workers. Police sources said that the city police have registered a case against Swati. He has been charged with interfering with a government function.
The activists of PTI deflated the tyres of police prison vans carrying 100 PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers to jail on 14-day judicial remand on court order and arrested on charges of attacking state institutions and violating Section 144. The city police have produced PTI and PAT workers including Asif Butt alias DJ Butt, the sound and music in-charge of PTI's sit-in, in the court of local magistrate Waqas Ahmad. The court sent 100 workers and D J Butt to Adiala Jail on 14 days judicial remand.
Earlier, following the court order, a large number of PTI workers including PTI provincial president Azam Swati, Arif Alvi and Andleeb Abbas rushed to the venue and surrounded the police van to prevent it from moving ahead, chanting anti-government slogans. The PTI workers also deflated tyres of the police vans carrying arrested workers to prevent them from leaving the premises. The PTI activists demanded release of party workers and vowed not to allow police to take their fellow activists to jail.
Meanwhile, heavy contingent of police reached district court F-8 Markaz to control the situation. Acting IGP Tahir Alam Khan, SSP Operation Mirwaiz Niaz and other senior officials of police were also present on the occasion. The PTI activists tried to stop the government officials from performing their duties, the acting IGP said. Police shifted the arrested people from police van with deflated tyres to another van and took them to Adiala jail.
Speaking on the occasion, PTI MNA Arif Alvi said that the detention of workers is illegal, adding that it can not pressurise his party to change its stance. Alvi claimed that police have arrested hundreds of PTI activists and they are being sent to Adiala Jail without being presented before the court. He urged the authorities to show the detailed verdict, otherwise, PTI workers will break the door of the prison van. He said at least 100 to 200 workers have been sent to Adiala Jail this morning. "The government should at least follow the court procedure," Alvi said, adding that his party workers are not even being provided water and being kept in dreadful condition.