GUJRAT, May 11: Hundreds of PML-N leaders and activists were arrested across the Punjab on Tuesday with many others managing to enter Lahore to welcome their leader Mian Shahbaz Sharif.
Police baton-charged and injured some of the party loyalists in some areas when they tried to engage in brawls.
In Gujrat, a caravan, led by National Assembly's former deputy speaker Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal and former MPA Malik Hanif Awan, was baton-charged by the police over the Chenab Bridge.
Reports said the caravan was heading towards Lahore from Sarai Alamgir by several vehicles. In Kharain, it met a little resistance by police, who thwarted the PML-N workers.
In Lalamusa, the city police SHO, who has good relations with some PML-N leaders of Gujranwala, didn't intercept the caravan and allegedly allowed it to travel towards Gujrat. However, the activists were baton-charged over the Chenab Bridge due to which Dr Ajmal Siddique Awan, Malik Shaukat Awan, Dr Ali Ahmad Tahir, Malik Jamil Awan, Advocate Malik Rasheed Awan, Advocate Malik Taimoor and Advocate Zafar Iqbal suffered injuries.
The condition of Zafar Iqbal, who is the PML-N Kharian additional secretary, was stated to be critical at the DHQ Hospital. The police arrested the two leaders, but later set them at liberty. They also punctured tyres of the vehicles carrying the politicians.
GUJRANWALA: The local police claimed to have arrested nearly 100 activists of the PML-N, who were on their way to Lahore to receive Shahbaz Sharif. Reports said 67 activists were arrested by Kamoke city police station and 34 by Cantonment police, in addition to 10 others held at different places.
Punjab PML-N chief organizer Ghulam Dastagir Khan and his son Khurram Dastagir were detained at their home while adviser to chief minister, S A Hameed, former provincial minister Usman Ibrahim and city secretary Abdul Rauf Mughal disappeared before the police raided their homes.
It is learnt that these leaders succeeded in reaching the Lahore airport. Police had arrested half a dozen activists, including DBA President Sayl Ali Cheema, during a raid late Monday night. All those arrested were sent behind bars for three months under 16-MPO.
SHEIKHUPURA: Four PML-N office-bearers, including an MPA, were booked by the district police to bar them from proceeding to Lahore. Reports said MPA Afzal Sultan Dogar, PML-N District Secretary-General Abdul Rasheed Gujjar, former bar president Rai Hayat Khan and Sarfraz Dogar were about to proceed to Lahore to receive Mr Sharif.
Led by information, a heavy contingent of the district police raided Mr Dogar's house where scores of ARD activist were present. The police arrested the host and three other leaders.
It is learnt that ARD District President Chaudhry Altaf Virk escaped in a decorated car in the guise of groom. Former MPAs Haji Muhammad Nawaz, Mian Javed Latif and party vice-president Abbas Hanjra reached Lahore two day ago.
SIALKOT: A caravan of buses, wagons and cars, transporting hundreds of politicians, led by PML-N central joint secretary Khawaja Muhammad Asif, managed to march towards Lahore after hurling stones at a contingent of the Daska circle police.
The incident took place at Othiyaan police check post in Daska on the Daska-Gujranwala Road. Information gathered by Dawn revealed that the police snatched keys to various vehicles of the caravan. This infuriated the PML-N activists, who chanted slogans against the police and hurled stones at them, managing to get pass the check post. Traffic on the main road remained suspended for about an hour.
Earlier on Monday night, the police arrested and detained four PML-N workers - Umar Farooq Dar, Malik Raza Ali, Aftab Ahmad Mirza, Muhammad Raza Bajwa. Cases were registered against them under 16-MPO.
SAHIWAL: The local police claimed to have arrested 10 office-bearers of the PML-N in the residence of the senior vice-president and took them to an unknown place in the afternoon.
According to reports, the party men were set to leave for Lahore to welcome their leader when the police raided the house of SVP Imran Wali Shah and house arrested him, besides taking away 10 others.
Those arrested were Amjad Rashid, Tariq Rashid, Tahir Hamid, Muhammad Afzal Faridi, Azmat Imran, Akram, Ramzan Bhatti, Arshad Raza, Irshad Ali and Faiz Muhammad.
OKARA: A caravan of the PML-N workers, led by PML-N District President Malik Nadeem Kamran, was intercepted by the district police on the GT Road. Among others were ex-provincial ticket holder Muhammad Nadeem Riasat and other leaders - Asif Saeed Bhatti, Rao Ashfaq Ali Khan, Rana Shabbir Husain and Malik Ghazi Abbas Saghla.
They protested against the police action and set ablaze tyres to block traffic. The police took them to the City A-Divison police station and a number of activists were there till last reports came in.
BAHAWALPUR: Several office-bearers of the PML-N, who were held in the two days, were set free by police on Tuesday after they signed surety bonds pledging to maintain peace.
Prominent among them were district president Chaudhry Mumtaz Ahmad Jajja, a former MNA, Punjab vice-president Chaudhry Samiullah and MPA Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar.
KASUR: Over 1,000 activists of the PML-N have crossed the district for Lahore by using different tactics, defying the police. After the announcement of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto regarding welcome of Shahbaz Sharif, hundreds of PPP workers joined the PML-N leaders.
According to the local leaders, including Haji Ghulam Sabir Ansari, former MPA, and PML-N Secretary-General Sheikh Waseem Akhtar, all the prominent leaders belonging to the district have reached Lahore. The police checked every vehicle at the entry points of the district, but couldn't identify the workers. Sources claimed that not more than 800 people reached Lahore.
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