LAHORE: Ahead of the start of the PTI’s ‘Azadi March’, the Punjab Police conducted overnight raids on the homes of several party leaders across the province, drawing condemnations from politicians, journalists and civil society.
In videos being circulated on social media, police officers could be seen purportedly raiding the houses of Punjab-based PTI leaders including Hammad Azhar, Usman Dar, Fayyazul Hasan Chohan, Malik Waqar Ahmed, Engineer Kashif Kharal, Mazhar Iqbal Gujjar and others.
On twitter, PTI leader Hammad Azhar’s mother, former Punjab health minister Yasmin Rashid and Justice (r) Nasira Iqbal shared their accounts of the police raids. They also accused the police of misbehavior and manhandling of women. They regretted that the “imported government” is afraid of the people’s march to Islamabad, which will sweep them away and bring about real independence in the country.
PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan, in a tweet early Tuesday morning, called the “brutal” crackdown the “fascist nature of PML-N when in power”. Peaceful protest was the right of the citizens, he said, adding that the crackdown raised serious questions about the “handlers”.
