1 Killed 100 Arrested in Pak Police Crackdown on Imran Supporters in Lahore

An activist of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was killed on Wednesday during a Pak police crackdown on Imran’s supporters gathered outside his residence in Lahore. These PTI supporters had defied the Pakistan government ban on rallies in Lahore.

Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse PTI activists. The PTO party claimed that around 100 of its “peaceful” workers were arrested.

“PTI worker Ali Bilal (40) was killed after receiving a head injury during the baton charge. Over a dozen have been injured and the condition of three of them is very critical,” Senior PTI leader Shireen Mazari told the media. She also said women workers of PTI were attacked by water cannons.

After the bloody clashes between police and his party workers, Khan called off the party’s “pro judiciary” rally from his Zaman Park residence to Data Darbar.

In a video address after the crackdown on party workers, Khan said: “Stop everything. We are not taking out the rally that we were supposed to as, I am saddened to say, that all the moves they (the government) are making are aimed at running away from elections. They are trying to ensure that chaos spreads and that is why I am asking my workers to finish it and go home.”

Khan said the government wants an excuse to delay the elections in Punjab and for this, it needs dead bodies. “Police have picked up our 100 workers. We will not let the government and its handlers succeed in its nefarious design,” he said.

The Lahore police said that 70 PTI workers have been taken into custody. “One PTI worker was killed in clashes while 70 were arrested. Three policemen have also suffered injuries in the clashes,” the police said in a statement.