No arrests as PTI launches ‘Jail Bharo’ drive in KP

PESHAWAR/LAHORE: Police Thursday made no arrest of the PTI workers countrywide during the second day of ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ launched by the PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan in order to press the government for accepting his demands.

In Peshawar, the police made announcements in different parts of the provincial capital, asking the PTI leaders and workers to board the prison van if someone wanted to court arrest.

A Peshawar Police official said they made no arrest nor lodged any FIR.

The official said announcements were made by the SP and deputies in different areas by even providing prison vans if someone wanted to go to jail voluntarily.

The workers were asked to either board the van or leave the place, as there were serious threats.

The announcements referred to last month's suicide blast in the city that resulted in the death of a large number of policemen and injuries to many others.

The PTI leaders offered to court arrest along with a large number of other party workers outside the Central Prison Peshawar but no one was arrested.

Some of the PTI leaders, however, left the scene when they felt that the police were in fact trying to arrest the leaders instead of workers.

The party leaders included PTI provincial president Pervez Khattak, former speaker of National Assembly Asad Qaiser, erstwhile governor Shah Farman, ex-provincial ministers Atif Khan, Shahram Tarakai, former legislators Arbab Amir, Fazal Khan, Fazle Elahi, etc.

Earlier in the day, the PTI members gathered in Gulbahar where the party leaders addressed the workers. They criticised the government for its policies and accused it of employing delaying tactics to hold general elections in the country.

They believed that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government and the opposition parties were scared of the PTI’s popularity and using all resources to delay elections.

Later, they marched towards the Central Prison Peshawar where a large number of PTI workers gathered and offered to arrest them.

Some of the PTI workers even tried to scale the boundary wall of the jail to provoke the police to arrest them.

The police had parked a prison van outside. But the PTI leaders and workers would go and get selfies, record videos with victory signs and share them on social media.

The PTI leaders disappeared from the scene when the cops reportedly made up their minds to take them into custody.

Former governor Shah Farman told The News that the senior PTI leaders were there to express solidarity with party workers and court arrest along with activists.

“The police actually wanted to repeat the same practice in Peshawar which the Punjab police had used in Lahore by arresting our central leaders and freeing the party workers later. The police in Peshawar planned to arrest us, the party leaders, and spare the party workers as they don’t have space in the jail,” Shah Farman said, adding that that’s why they preferred to leave the spot.

Shah Farman said the party leaders stayed outside the Peshawar Jail along with party workers and waited for the police to arrest them. He claimed the party workers who gathered outside the jail numbered around 7,000.

“The government by arresting the party leaders rather than thousands of workers in fact wanted to fail our Jail Bharo Tehreek. We will continue our peaceful protest till the government announces general elections across Pakistan,” he said.

Meanwhile, PTI chief Imran Khan Thursday condemned the maltreatment of the detained PTI workers and alleged that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was leading the caretaker Punjab government.

Addressing the nation on the video link, Imran said Pakistan could face Sri Lanka-like situation if the PTI remained silent on this occasion.

Condemning the way the PTI workers, who volunteered themselves for arrest, were being treated like terrorists by the sitting government, Imran said the senior party leaders had been shifted to different prisons in Punjab.

Imran said the PTI stalwarts were being treated as terrorists by the government.

Citing the Constitution, Imran said it guaranteed human rights to the citizens of the state.

“The way the government is treating the political workers is not hidden from anyone, as it is an era of social media where nothing can be kept secret. The day the PTI government was removed, a reign of brutality was unleashed on its workers,” said Imran.

He said an elderly citizen like Azam Swati was tortured. Similarly, he said Shehbaz Gill was also maltreated and 23 out of 25 officials were involved in the maltreatment of PTI workers on May 25, 2022.

He thanked Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Chaudhry Moonis Elahi and all those who sided by him.

Imran alleged that Shehbaz Sharif was holding the reigns of the Punjab government and Muhammad Khan Bhatti, former principal secretary to the Punjab chief minister was still missing. Imran also criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan for its biased role.