LAHORE: Clashes broke out at various parts of the provincial capital between PML-N workers and the police on Friday when the party rallies were denied access to the city and the airport. A number of rallies/processions started arriving in the city on Friday morning from various parts of the province.

A violent clash broke out at Jorray Pul late on Friday when police stopped workers who were heading towards the airport. The rally was being led by former NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and other party leaders. Angry supporters of the party who were equipped with clubs attacked the police personnel and pelted them with stones. As a result, a deputy superintendent of police and two policemen were injured.

Witnesses said the police in return baton-charged the protesters. Stones thrown by police in retaliation hit the vehicle of Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Earlier, entry points of the provincial capital saw clashes when police did not allow workers to enter the city. Witnesses said clashes broke out at Bhatta Chowk, Ravi Pul, Shahdara, Bhatti Chowk, Babu Sabu Interchange, Thokar Niaz Beg, Scheme Morr, Gajjumatta (Ferozepur Road), Saggian etc.

The police had placed containers, barbed wires and barriers at nearly 50 points. A spokesperson for the Lahore police told Dawn more than 15,000 armed and other personnel of the police were deployed in the city for security in addition to Rangers. Massive security arrangements were made in the surroundings of the airport.

He said the police had deployed over 1,500 cops in addition to the personnel of Police Response Unit, Dolphin Squad, Anti-Riot Force, Elite and Counter-Terrorism Department in and around the airport.

The officials and jawans of Pakistan Army, ASF and Punjab Rangers were also fully alert to cope with any untoward situation, he said.

Shahdara witnessed unrest where former defence minister Khurram Dastgir was leading a rally from Gujranwala.

On finding containers and barriers, Mr Dastgir demanded from the police safe entry giving assurance that his workers will remain peaceful. Following a refusal, workers pelted the police with stones.

The situation turned ugly when some senior leaders of the PML-N from Sheikhupura also joined the rallies at Ravi Pul and Saggian.

The party leaders claimed that their workers reacted when police arrested over 50 activists.

Lahore Operations SSP Asad Sarfraz claimed the angry mob had injured many cops.

He said the unruly workers also damaged the police vans and public property besides government buildings. In retaliation, he said the police used force and fired teargas shells to disperse them.

The situation remained tense in the area for some hours prompting the police command to dispatch more reserves to meet the emergency situation.

A similar situation was reported at Babu Sabu Interchange, Ravi Toll Plaza, Scheme Morr, Thokar, Yateem Khana etc. There were reports that a majority of the party workers managed to enter the city using narrow streets and roads on motorbikes.

Witnesses said that Bhatta Chowk remained another major troubled spot where clashes erupted in the evening.

The police had blocked the Ring Road and other arteries by placing containers which irked the support of N-League who pelted police with stones and bricks.

The police in return fired teargas shells and used batons to disperse them.

GUJRAT: Clashes between PML-N workers and police were reported from various parts of the province on Friday. Police also detained at least 80 workers, supporters and leaders of the party from across Punjab.

In Gujrat, police resorted to aerial firing and baton-charge to disperse PML-N workers who also retaliated by pelting police with stones, as a result of which several workers and policemen were injured.

The clashes erupted when police disrupted the convoys of PML-N workers on their way to Lahore.

Police also detained scores of PML-N workers, including former MNA Chaudhry Mubashir Hussain, former MPAs Nawabzada Haider Mehdi and Shabbir Kotla. Shabbir’s brother, Tanveer Kotla, was among those who scuffled with police.

Police had arrested Mayor Haji Nasir Mahmood on Thursday from the deputy commissioner’s (DC) office that had also caused tension between the DC and district police officer. DC Tauseef Dilshad Kathana had expressed annoyance with District Police Officer (DPO) retired Capt Rommel Akram over police’s breach of decorum of his office.

Police have however not registered any case against the mayor who was still in police custody. Official sources told Dawn that the DC had declined to issue detention orders of the mayor despite repeated requests by the DPO.

The DC issued detention orders for at least 17 PML-N workers for seven days in response to police’s recommendation to detain them for up to 14 days. The workers included brothers of former state minister Jaafar Iqbal Fatta Bhand and former MPA Imran Zafar. Adowal Union Council Chairman Rukhsar Ahmed Mellu and others had been arrested in an earlier crackdown by police across the district. They were shifted to the district jail.

BAHAWALPUR: Police allegedly detained former federal minister Baleeghur Rehman at his residence on Multan Road here to prevent him from proceeding to Lahore.

Mr Rehman along with party workers was discussing on Thursday night their strategy to travel to Lahore with a caravan. They were scheduled to depart for Lahore on Friday morning but were detained.

Early on Friday, a heavy contingent of police besieged Mr Rehman’s residence and later shut the main entry gate and locked it.

However, the DPO’s spokesman, Umar Saleem, denied the former minister’s detention, saying that no restrictions had been imposed on Mr Rehman ’s movements.

SAHIWAL: Around 30 to 35 PML-N workers, supporters and office-bearers were arrested after police allegedly baton-charged a peaceful procession of the party around noon.

PML-N District General Secretary Rao Nazir Farid was locked up in the Civil Lines police station. Former MPA Chaudhry Tufail Jutt from Chichawatni got injured in a scuffle with police and was later shifted to the THQ hospital.

A procession was being led by PML-N District President Malik Nadeem Kamran, Pir Imran Shah and Malik Arshad. After police stopped the participants gathered at Arshad’s house, the supporters started walking towards the motorway. When they had walked for a kilometre, police cracked down on them, started picking them up and shifted them to various lock-ups.

In ensuing scuffles with police, 10 workers were injured.

SIALKOT: Police and law enforcement agencies stopped a convoy of thousands of PML-N workers, led by party stalwart Khwaja Asif, as it reached Raajokey village, Daska, on its way to Lahore.

Also part of Asif’s convoy were Azad Jammu and Kashmir Minister Chaudhry Ishaq, PML-N’s election candidates Chaudhry Armughan Subhani, Syed Iftikharul Hassan Shah, Rana Shamim Ahmed, Chaudhry Muhammad Ikram, Chaudhry Khush Akhtar Subhani, Rana Muhammad Afzal, Mian Zeeshan Rafiq, PML-N Daska President Afzal Mansha and local leaders.

On being stopped, the workers came out of their vehicles shouting slogans against Imran Khan and the caretaker government. They also staged a sit-in on the main Sialkot-Daska road.

Later, the convoy changed its route and made its way towards Lahore through unpaved paths in rural areas.

The security agencies also stopped a PML-N rally from Pasrur at Dharam Kot Chowk in Daska tehsil.

OKARA: Police held over 30 PML-N workers in a bid to prevent them from travelling to Lahore.

(Waseem Butt from Gujrat, Shafiq Butt from Sahiwal, Majeed Gill from Bahawalpur and Abid Mehdi from Sialkot contributed to this report)

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2018