Pitched battles as protesters, police clash

Rawalpindi : The law enforcement agencies used tear gas shells to disperse participants of the Long March here in some areas of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad here on Wednesday.

PTI supporters pelted stones at police while law enforcement agencies used tear gas shells to disperse them at Faizabad, Shamsabad, and Chandni Chowk in Rawalpindi and in G-9 Markaz at Karachi Company, Islamabad. The government also suspended mobile signals, internet, and even Wifi in different areas of the twin cities.

The government adopted extra precautionary measures by blocking roads, cancelled papers, issuing notification of school holidays, stopping metro bus service, and sealing all bus and wagon terminals but the citizens of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad seemed least interested in PTI's ‘Long March’. Over 90 per cent of families stayed at home and did not show any kind of interest in the PTI march here on Wednesday.

Over 70 per cent of businesses remained open here in Rawalpindi and Islamabad but private transport remained off the roads. The metro bus service was also suspended. All government and private educational institutions remained closed.

On the other hand, all kinds of commercial banks, petrol pumps, hotels, restaurants, showrooms, money changer shops and several other businesses remained open as per routine. Police also intensified their crackdown in Islamabad and various areas of the Rawalpindi division while detaining a dozen of leaders and workers of PTI. Police kept raiding the houses and offices of almost all party leaders and workers of PTI in Islamabad, Murree, Rawalpindi, Chakwal and Jhelum to arrest them. Those leaders and workers, arrested by police have been sent to Adiala Jail under 16 MPO.

Rawalpindi’s Lal Haveli was like a battlefield where police cordoned off all areas to arrest former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and former MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq. But, both leaders ran away from back doors on the occasion.

Police also made attempts to arrest PTI MNA Sardar Sadaqat Abbasi, MPA/former Law Minister Punjab Raja Muhammad Basharat, MPA Umer Tanvir Butt, MPA Ijaz Khan Jazzi, PTI leaders Zia Kausar Malik, Raja Ishaq, Raja Usman Tiger, MPA Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, Chauhdry Adnan, Raja Rashid Hafeez and many others in twin cities but could not arrest them till the filing of this report.

Rawalpindi district administration announced the closure of all government and private public schools in the district. The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Rawalpindi also cancelled the examination scheduled for Wednesday.

Talking to ‘The News’ citizens of Rawalpindi and Islamabad strongly condemned the politics of confrontation. They have appealed to the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) to pass an order to end ‘Long March’ or ‘Dharna’ politics in the country.