At least eight people lost their lives, around 290 sustained injuries and over 1,900 furious demonstrators were detained in ongoing confrontations with law enforcement nationwide on Wednesday.
The protests sparked by the PTI chairman’s arrest continued for a second Wednesday, with police and PTI supporters involved in brutal daily clashes. These confrontations led to damage to various government facilities, including police stations.
Following the attack on Pakistan’s General Headquarters (GHQ) and the ransacking of the Lahore Corps Commander’s home, authorities have registered cases against several senior leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
In Rawalpindi, the first information report (FIR) was filed under 10 criminal sections, including 7 Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), with the RA Bazaar police station. According to the FIR, a police team near Gate No. 1 of the GHQ reported that an aggressive mob of 250 to 300 people, led by PTI leader Raja Basharat, attacked the gate while shouting anti-army slogans and attempting to enter the building. The people deployed at the gate intercepted the mob.
Read: Pakistan Government Arrests Top PTI Leaders Amid Nationwide Protests
A police party led by a senior superintendent of police is reportedly conducting raids to apprehend the former Punjab law minister and around 200 participants involved in the GHQ attack.
In Lahore, multiple PTI leaders were named in FIRs registered at the Race Course and Sarwar Road Police Stations for the violence in the city following Imran Khan’s arrest. At the Race Course Police Station, Azhar and 80 others were booked under the ATA on the complaint of Station House Officer Aftab Nawaz. The FIR alleges that a mob led by Azhar attacked the area surrounding Club Chowk and hurled abuses against the army, judiciary, and sensitive institutions.
A separate FIR was registered at the Sarwar Road Police Station, accusing PTI leaders Mian Aslam Iqbal, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, Azhar, Musarrat Cheema, and Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, among others, of leading and encouraging the mob during protests. The case includes charges of murder, attempted murder, and 20 other sections of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Read: UN Calls for Peace Amid Protests Over Imran Khan’s Arrest
Protests erupted across Pakistan after Khan’s arrest as he appeared before the Islamabad High Court for several pending cases since his removal from office last year. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse Khan’s supporters in Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, while protesters blocked roads in Islamabad, Peshawar, and other cities. The workers also damaged public property and set police vehicles on fire in Charsadda, Karachi, Lahore, and several other cities after PTI called on supporters to “shut down Pakistan” over Khan’s arrest.
