Police launch crackdown to sabotage opposition’s Gujranwala gathering

Rawalpindi/ islamabad-Police along with personnel of other law enforcement agencies have launched a crackdown in various parts of the city to detain leaders and workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz including local bodies’ representatives preparing to participate in public rally of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to be held in Gujranwala by tomorrow, informed sources on Wednesday.

However, police could not arrest any prominent leader or worker of PML-N or any other party as all went into hiding prior to raids, they said.

Meanwhile, the bosses of Rawalpindi police have denied that crackdown is being launched in the district to cage the leaders and workers of PML-N and any other political party to sabotage the Gujranwala public rally.

According to sources, the police along with personnel of other LEAs got into the house of PML-N former MPA Raja Hanif last night in the limits of Police Station (PS) New Town and conducted the search of his house. Nonetheless, the former legislator of Nawaz League could not be arrested by police, they said. Similarly, a heavy contingent of police raided the residence of Maqbool Ahmed Malik, a local leader of PML-N and president of Muslim Students Federation (MSF), to arrest him but the cops could not achieve the target. 

Sources said a raid was also carried out in the house of Union Council-29 former chairman Raja Jibran Rafaqat in Khurram Colony but no arrest was made.

Sources disclosed that the police, following the orders of government, will launch massive crackdown against the leaders and workers of opposition in the night between Wednesday and Thursday.

On the other hand, the leadership of PML-N, PPP, JUI-F and their allies have finalised their arrangements to take part in PDM public gathering in Gujranwala schedule to be held on October 16. For this, the leadership have decided to gather at Giga Mall on GT Road by today (Thursday) to cruise to Gujranwala. Earlier, the police officers including SSP Potohar Division Syed Ali and ASP Cantt Cirlce Amna Baig convened meetings with Provincial Ameer JUI-F at Jamia Islamia in Saddar. During the meeting, the matters related to security and law and order situation came under discussion, sources said.

In Islamabad, the district administration has also started placing containers at various roads.

Sources disclosed that the top bosses of police departments of twin cities have also been holding meetings to chalk out a strategy to detain the leaders and workers of PML-N, PPP and JUI-F to sabotage the public gathering of PDM.

When contacted, a senior police officer of Rawalpindi denied that raids were being carried out against the opposition parties. He said we had not arrested any leader or worker of any political party so far.

However, sources insisted that police have planned launching a massive crackdown in the district to arrest the leaders and workers of PML-N, PPP and JUI-F.

“Come what may, we will not surrender before negative tactics of government which is using state machinery to stop us from participating in PDM rally,” said an MPA of PML-N while talking to The Nation from an unknown location.

“The days of Niazi regime are numbered as all the parties are united against the selected government,” said a worker of PPP adding that a large number of leaders and workers of PPP, PML-M and JUI-F will make Gujranwala show a success. 

Article source: https://nation.com.pk/15-Oct-2020/police-launch-crackdown-to-sabotage-opposition-s-gujranwala-gathering