KARACHI: Dozens of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf activists, including an MPA, were injured and detained in Korangi when police used baton charge to break up their protest rally seeking the release of Imran Khan on Sunday, witnesses and party officials claimed.

Despite repeated attempts by Dawn to seek the police version of the incident, DIG-East Azfar Mahesar and Korangi SSP Tauheed Rehman Memon did not respond.

The PTI organised a rally at Korangi No1. Several workers, including some travelling in vehicles, were passing through a road when a contingent of police arrived.

PTI-Karachi spokesperson Muhammad Ali Bozdar claimed that the police used force against peaceful participants due to which city president Raja Azhar, general secretary Arsalan Khalid and many others suffered injuries.

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“The police further escalated the situation by arresting MPA Wajid Hussain, Arsalan Khalid, Rizwan Niazi, Haris Mevo, Qadeer Ahmed, and over two dozen other workers. They were taken to some undisclosed location,” added Mr Bozdar.

PTI-Sindh president Haleem Adil Sheikh condemned the ‘police brutality’, saying that holding a peaceful protest was a legal and constitutional right of every Pakistani citizen.

He criticised the Sindh government, accusing it of establishing a ‘civilian dictatorship’ under the guise of democracy.

He vowed that the peaceful movement would continue and that ‘police violence’ could not demoralise PTI workers.

Karachi PTI president Raja Azhar said that the protest was peaceful and blamed the police for the violence and arrests.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2024