LAHORE: As life returned to normal in most parts of Punjab on Thursday except in Lahore where clashes continued to occur between police and the PTI workers till late, the total arrests made by the Punjab Police across the province reached 2,250 and the FIRs over 200.

According to the reports, police arrested more suspects on Thursday in the wake of the criminal cases registered against the protesters in Lahore and other parts of the province.

A spokesperson for the Punjab Police released official figures, saying that with the new arrests of the PTI workers and the leaders made on Thursday across the province, the tally of arrests reached 2,250.

Of them, the Lahore police claimed to have arrested over 200 people and lodged 11 cases against them for attacks on police and damage to public and private buildings.

PTI workers, police scuffles continue even after Imran’s release order; tally of arrests now 2,250

A source said the police have registered 200 FIRs against the PTI leaders and workers across the province.

On the other hand, brief clashes were reported all day with intervals between the police and the PTI workers at the Liberty Roundabout and Zaman Park.

According to the reports that emerged in the evening, all the main roads of the provincial capital, including a part of Main Boulevard, Gulberg, got cleared by the military troops as well as the police for the traffic and the general public.

The Rangers held a flag march on some major arteries of Lahore to show their presence.

The Liberty Roundabout has been the favourite place for the PTI workers to gather to lodge agitation or enjoy celebrations. For the last two days, the area has been a battlefield when the party workers gathered in large numbers there to protest the arrest of their leader Imran Khan and turned violent later on.

Late on Wednesday, the situation was reported very alarming and tense at Kalma Chowk Underpass and a patch of Main Boulevard, Gulberg, from Liberty Chowk to Siddique Trade Centre where fierce scuffles broke out between the police and the PTI workers which continued until the wee hours on Thursday.

According to reports, the violent protesters threw stones on police personnel, damaged several cars and set two containers on fire at Kalma Chowk Underpass. They also set another on fire later that led to a strong explosion in its fuel tank. The incident occurred at around 1am near Kalma Chowk underpass and the video clips emerged later showed the people running for shelter to avoid huge flames of fire.

Some eyewitnesses said the police later used force and tear gas to disperse the violent mob besides making many arrests of the party workers.

Later in the day, the military troops were seen patrolling the Jail Road, Mall Road, Lahore Canal in Cantonment and other the major arteries of Gulberg.

However, a large number of PTI workers again gathered at Zaman Park shortly after the Supreme Court issued orders for releasing Imran Khan.

According to the reports, the scuffle broke out between the police and the PTI workers who were celebrating the release of the party chairman.

The PTI workers pelted the police with stones while the police fired tear gas to disperse them. Both sides blamed each other for the unrest.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2023