Reported By Dawn News
LAHORE: On Wednesday, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf parliamentarians disregarded Section 144 and rebounded from the Punjab Assembly to Regal Chowk demanding the discharge of the party’s founding chairman and former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and all other imprisoned party leaders and staffers.
“This is the formal launching of a long-drawn protest movement that will also feature a long march in the days to come,” claimed opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar while overseeing the rally march.
An extreme delegation of police was hearing, ‘guarding’ the rally. Though a police van was conveyed to the Regal Chowk, the police did not carry any parliamentarian into control.
The parliamentarians holding party flags vocalized taglines.
Mr Bhachar claimed to the media that “the party leaders and workers had shunned fear and took to the streets.”
He stated, “The protests would continue till the release of Imran Khan and other incarcerated party leaders and workers.
However, PTI chairman Gohar Khan also coached a march of national assembly parliamentarians from Lahore High Court and entered the Punjab Assembly members at the Regal Chowk.
Conversing to Dawn, a PTI leader claimed, “The party was watching whether the police would lodge FIRs against parliamentarians for marching on The Mall in violation of section 144.”
It may be highlighted that the Punjab government had on June 21 inflicted section 144, excluding rallies, processions, disfavors and sit-ins across the region for seven days.