ISLAMABAD/     -     RAWALPINDI
Scores of leaders and
supporters of Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI)
pelted stones at per
sonnel of Islamabad
police and other law
enforcement agencies
at Faizabad Bridge after
protests broke out after
Friday prayers against
an armed attack on
former premier Imran
Khan at Wazirabad.
Police also fired tear
gas shells at the violent
protestors to disperse
them. Reportedly, many
protests were held by
the police and shifted
to police stations.
Interestingly, the
protestors reached
Faizabad Bridge while
marching on Murree
Road with no resis
tance or stopping by
the Rawalpindi police.
A gigantic traffic jam
occurred on Islamabad
Expressway, IJP Road,
9th Avenue, Murree
Road and other linking
roads causing immense
troubles for commuters.
The district govern
ment has also suspend
ed Metro Bus Service
between Saddar and
Faizabad.
On Thursday night,
police had arrested
three protestors in
cluding two women
from the bridge on
charges of violating
law and order and confronting police.
According to details,
PTI city chapter leaders along with scores
of supporters holding
party flags, portraits of
Imran Khan gathered
at Shamasabad from
where they rallied towards Faizabad Bridge
where a protest demo
was staged against
armed attack on Imran
Khan, the party chief.
The most echoed slogan, chanted by the
charged protestors of
PTI, was simple: “Announce a date for fresh
elections.”
PTI President North
Punjab Amir Kiani,
MNA Sheikh Rashid
Shafique, Ali Nawaz
Awan, Raja Rashid
Hafeez, Raja Majid,
Arif Abbasi, Mian Imran Hayyat and Zaheer
Awan led the rally. Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Wasiq Qayyum
Abbasi along with his
supporters Abbas Akbar, Sheikh Irfan and
others also brought a
rally from Adiala Road
to Shamasabad.
The protestors bellowed slogans against
the PDM government
and in favour of Imran
Khan. Cops of Islamabad police warned the
protestors not to violate
section 144 imposed by
the district government.
On this, the mob pelted
police and Frontier Constabulary with stones.
In retaliation, the police
fired tear gas shells to
disperse the protestors.
Videos shared on
social media show the
workers and leaders of
PTI running here and
there in search of shelter. Many protestors
lobbed back the burning tear gas shells towards policemen. Thick
white clouds of smoke
caused by tear gas
shells could be seen far
away whereas the residents suffered a lot due
to intoxicated gas.
“The protestors of
PTI were equipped
with stones and sticks
and launched an attack on police deputed
at Faizabad Bridge to
maintain law and order,” said a police officer while talking to media men. He said that
police also held many
protestors and shifted
them to various police
stations for legal action.
“Police on Thursday
night had rounded up
a man namely Faizan
Sarwar and two other
women identified as
Roma Anwar and Shumaila Haider from Faizabad Bridge on charges
of violating section
144, scuffling with police and chanting antigovernment slogans.
Separate FIRs have also
been registered against
them,” he said. He said
that it was noticed that
Rawalpindi police and
the district government had not made
efforts to stop violent
mobs from marching
towards the federal
capital. He requested
the CPO and DC Rawalpindi to take action
against the violators.