- 24 including former PTI MNAs arrested for rioting.
- FIR lodged at Artillery Maidan police station.
- PTI workers face charges of vandalism, rioting.
A case has been registered against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Haleem Adil Sheikh and more than 100 party workers after a protest in Karachi’s Red Zone allegedly turned violent, police said on Tuesday.
According to police, 24 PTI workers involved in the protest and rioting were arrested, including former members of the National Assembly, Alamgir Khan and Dawa Khan.
The FIR was lodged at Artillery Maidan police station on behalf of the state over Sunday’s protest at Fawara Chowk. It includes charges of violating Section 144, vandalism, rioting and other related offences.
Police said around 150 PTI workers had gathered at Fawara Chowk under the leadership of Sheikh and were marching towards the Karachi Press Club. According to the FIR, the protesters were carrying party flags and sticks.
Officials said the demonstrators had been informed about the imposition of Section 144 in the Red Zone and the restriction on proceeding. However, police said that when they were stopped, the protesters became agitated and attacked officers with sticks and stones.
Police said additional personnel were called to the area and action was taken, during which 24 people were arrested while others managed to flee.
The protest had been organised by PTI against the increase in petroleum prices, with workers also chanting slogans against the government.
According to South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mahzoor Ali, police resorted to tear gas shelling after protesters allegedly began pelting stones at officers. Several people, including women, were taken into custody, he said.
The clash triggered panic and disrupted traffic flow in the area for some time.
Police had also deployed heavy contingents at Numaish Chowrangi, Teen Talwar Chowrangi and Millennium Mall in Gulistan-e-Jauhar in view of possible PTI protests elsewhere in the city.
It may be noted that the global oil prices surged sharply due to the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. As a result, the government jacked up the prices of the two most consumed fuels — petrol and diesel — significantly earlier this month, unleashing an unprecedented wave of inflation in the country.
However, in order to provide relief to the public, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reduced the petrol price to Rs378 per litre for a month and slashed the petroleum levy by Rs80 per litre.
