GUJRANWALA: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Azadi march was ‘fired upon’ and pelted with stones allegedly by workers of the PML-N when it was leaving for Islamabad after an eight-hour stopover here on Friday.

Police denied any incident of shooting.

Later on the advice of police, PTI Chairman Imran Khan left the container and boarded a bullet-proof Land Cruiser for onward journey.

The PTI marchers, who had left Lahore on Thursday afternoon, reached Gujranw­ala at 5am on Friday. The PTI chief and other leaders stayed at the residence of a party leader, Barrister Ali Ashraf Mughal, and had breakfast there.

When the marchers resu­m­ed their journey and rea­ched the office of PML-N’s MPA Imran Khalid Butt in Sabzi Mandi area on GT Road, a group of nearly 100 PML-N workers, allegedly led by the MPA’s brother Salman Khalid Butt alias Pomi Butt, attacked Mr Khan’s container and pelted the PTI activists with stones. Although police were present there, they reportedly did not make any serious effort to stop the attackers.

Near Shaheenabad, another group of attackers allegedly belonging to the PML-N threw stones on Mr Khan’s container and also reportedly ‘opened fire’. A heavy contingent of police made the attackers flee but did not arrest anyone.

Near the Rawalpindi bypass, another group of PML-N activists attacked some participants of the Azadi march. But here they faced resistance from PTI workers.

Gujranwala region’s police chief Saad Akhtar Bharwana and CPO Waqas Nazir got the route cleared for the marchers. Police enhanced security for PTI leaders and workers.

The PTI chief alleged that the PML-N workers had attacked him and his workers at the behest of their leadership. He claimed that his container was fired upon.

Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid alleged that stones hurled on the marchers had been stored in police vehicles.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Mashhood Khan claimed that PML-N workers retaliated when PTI workers attacked Pomi Butt’s office and tore up the pictures of party leaders.

Gujranwala Commissioner Shumail Ahmad Khawaja said that on the order of the chief minister, an FIR had been registered against Pomi Butt and nine others who had courted arrest.

Talking to reporters in the Sabzi Mandi police lockup, Pomi Butt rejected the allegations and said: “I’m innocent and a thorough gentleman. Do not compare me with Gullu Butt.”

Gullu Butt, also known as Sher-i-Lahore, came into the limelight after he was caught on camera brazenly damaging vehicles in the presence of police during a clash between Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers and police in Lahore’s Model Town on June 17.

PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen said at a news conference in Islamabad that Pomi Butt had instigated the clash between PTI and PML-N activists.

The PTI’s spokesperson, Aneela Khan, accused the PML-N workers of firing shots at Mr Khan’s vehicle.

But police denied any shooting. “Workers of PTI and PML-N clashed in Gujranwala and threw stones at each other,” AFP quoted a police spokeswoman as saying.

Meanwhile, all PML-N offices on the marchers’ route were shut on the order of the chief minister.

The Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s caravan crossed Gujranwala and Gujrat without any hurdle. Its participants had lunch in Gujrat, arranged by the PML-Q leadership.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2014