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A day after former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaaf (PTI) staged a protest in Rawalpindi which turned violent the Police have registered FIRs on hundreds of them as reported by Dawn.
The police of Pakistan's Punjab province filed the FIRs after the protests turned violent, despite calls for peaceful gathering by the jailed former Prime Minister. Hundreds of protestors along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, Ali Amin Gandapur actively participated in the protest which was held despite Section 144 being imposed by the provincial government. According to Punjab province's Code of Criminal Procedure, Section 144 results in a ban on public gatherings, rallies and activities for a specific time duration. According to Dawn, three FIRs were found to state that Imran Khan had called for the protests to be held at the Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi. Express Tribune also noted that a senior police officer, on condition of anonymity, said that the leadership of PTI had called for protest despite being aware of the imposition of section 144. The police thus arrested more than a hundred PTI leaders and workers on various charges such as the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, violating the ban on protests, shouting slogans against the government and institutions, obstructing the police, damaging police vehicles, snatching weapons and injuring police officials. In these cases, PTI's key leaders like Shehryar Riaz, Seemabia Tahir and 107 activists and other leaders have been named. More than 450 others have been declared 'unknown suspects' and have been booked under the law. A big blow comes to Imran Khan and Gandapur as they have been charged under Section 109 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of Pakistan. Ganadapur however struck a note of defiance saying the government could not divert them from their goal. "The undemocratic government on Form 47 is destroying the constitution with constitutional amendments, where we will get an order to go for protest, we will go, they are now firing bullets with tear gas, these bullets can make us lie down. But cannot divert from the goal." Ali Amin Gandapur told reporters. The Anti-Terrorism Act of Pakistan is known to have strict provisions which increase the power of law enforcement agencies. It has the power to invade an individual's privacy and offers death penalties too under severe cases. As per Dawn, PTI alleged the police used 'expired teargas shells' to disperse the PTI protesters. However, the police termed these allegations to be baseless, stating that the shells used were recently manufactured, with a shelf life of five years. Due to the intense protests, many essential life services were disrupted in the city of Rawalpindi. From ambulances getting blocked to the people across strata unable to move out of their homes, the city saw a halt in basic activities. (ANI)
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