LAHORE: The Punjab police rounded up dozens of office-bearers and activists of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in several districts of the province during a Monday night crackdown.

However, the ‘verbal’ orders of detention were withdrawn by the government on Tuesday afternoon, Dawn has learnt on good authority.

On the other hand, police action continued against Pakistan Awami Tehreek of Dr Tahirul Qadri across the province with the strict government directive to detain or arrest maximum number of activists in order to stop them from participating in the march announced by their leader on Aug 14.

Know more: Crackdown on PAT goes on

A source at the Central Police Office confided to Dawn that the IG had issued ‘verbal’ orders to the district police to launch a crackdown on PTI activists and to stop them from reaching the city for the Azadi march.

He, however, said the detention orders were withdrawn at around 3pm. The source said the activists detained under Maintenance of Public Order would remain in police custody till further orders.

A delegation led by PTI’s Punjab president Ejaz Chauhdry also met Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Sukhera at his office and brought the matter of detention, raids on residences and harassment to his notice.

According to a press release, Mr Chauhdry who was accompanied by party’s provincial general secretary Dr Yasmeen Rashid, leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal demanded release of their 1,500 activists. They also demanded that PTI caravans coming from other provinces be allowed to enter Punjab.

According to the PTI’s provincial media cell, police intensified crackdown on PTI activists across the province and about 1,500 party supporters had been detained in districts of Narowal, Sialkot, Attock, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Khushab, Mianwali, Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, Chiniot, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh and Pakpattan.

Mr Chauhdry and Dr Yasmeen have ordered all PTI district presidents of the party to lodge peaceful protests outside police stations where the activists have been kept.

The media cell said that party chief Imran Khan had strongly condemned unjustified detention of activists.

A convoy of around 2,000 PTI office-bearers and activists led by the party’s Sindh President Nadir Akmal Laghari was stopped by the Rahim Yar Khan police around 3am and was not allowed to enter Punjab. It was still stuck up on the National Highway.

An official of the district police confided to this reporter that the convoy had not been allowed to enter Punjab because of imposition of Section 144 of Cr Pc.

He said the PTI office-bearers didn’t agree when asked by police to proceed on individual basis and hand over about 30 weapons they were carrying.

The official said that R.Y. Khan police had received intelligence from Sindh that people in the caravan carried 30 weapons.

A Lahore police source told Dawn that the government was likely to give free access to PTI for their march and all hurdles at the entry-exist points and on the National Highway would be removed.

He, however, said that PAT workers would not be allowed to hold their march as police crackdown on their office-bearers and activists had intensified and security and hurdles had been doubled in and around the Model Town residence of Dr Tahirul Qadri.

According to the source, Lahore police had arrested 300 PAT activists over the last few days and detained another 18 on Tuesday evening.

Published in Dawn, Aug 13th, 2014