Several PTI supporters have been hurt in a clash with police in Lahore,

 

—The Naqvi government has suspended political gatherings, while allowing Women's Day rallies to proceed.

—The Centre has defended its crackdown, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has accused Sana of encouraging bloodshed in order to delay elections.

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD:Tensions ran high in the Mall Road area of Lahore as police clashed with PTI supporters, resulting in numerous injuries, after the Mohsin Naqvi administration barred all public gatherings in the city prior to the PTI's planned electoral rally.

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied around Zaman Park, the home of ex-premier Imran Khan, on Wednesday, disregarding warnings by law enforcement to take further detentions.

The Provincial Home Department issued a notification earlier today, suspending all protests, demonstrations and sit-ins in Lahore for seven days due to a current wave of terrorism and threat alerts.

The notification states that all activities that involve the gathering of people, such as assemblies, gatherings, rallies, processions, and demonstrations, are prohibited.

Despite the prohibition of demonstrations under Section 144 of the CrPC, the Aurat March rally for International Women's Day was allowed to proceed, demonstrating an interesting shift in policy.

Hammad Azhar, a senior figure from the party, reported that police had apprehended numerous followers prior to the scheduled demonstration beginning in Zaman Park.

Police officers used their batons and discharged tear gas on the road to Khan's residence in order to break up the crowd of his supporters. TV images showed a large lorry spraying water, dispersing the demonstrators.

Videos posted by the party on Twitter depicted police officers breaking car windows.

Khan criticized the actions of the caretaker government, claiming that their use of force against unarmed workers was excessive and in violation of the Supreme Court's ruling. He further questioned the legality of such actions, declaring that it is a breach of the Constitution and democracy itself. "The obligation of a caretaker government is to guarantee the fairness and freedom of elections. What they are doing is an attack on the rule of law, our Constitution, and democracy. Once a Supreme Court decision is disregarded, it is a return to the law of the jungle," he said.

Fawad Chaudhry, senior vice president of the party, tweeted that the ban on protests is a “weapon of fascism” employed by Shehbaz Sharif's government and its “imperialist forces.” He further warned that the people of Pakistan will not accept such attempts to subvert their human rights, adding that “the people have always fought for their rights.”

Centre Stands Strong: Defends Crackdown on Unlawful Activities

At a press conference in Islamabad, Rana Sanaullah Khan, Minister for Interior, defended the Naqvi government's decision to impose Section 144 in the provincial capital. He stated that the Aurat March, the Haya March of Jamaat-i-Islami, and the PTI's election rally were all occurring in the same vicinity, making it possible for an incident to occur. The minister said that this was the reason why the government chose to act on the basis of intelligence reports.

The minister expressed his discontent with Khan, citing that the party had not informed authorities of their rally route, leading to the government restrictions. He also denounced Khan for claiming incapacity to go to court yet concurrently organising a rally.

Sanaullah cited the decision of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to temporarily stay Khan's arrest warrant until March 13 and argued that no further leniency should be given to the ex-prime minister. He asserted that if Khan did not appear in court, he should be punished. In response, Azhar accused Naqvi and his supporters of "undermining democracy" by prohibiting political activities in the city during election season.

Speaking at Khan's residence, the ex-minister criticised the caretaker government for obstructing the election campaign rather than guaranteeing fair and free polls.

Sanaullah and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government were accused of wanting bloodshed in the city. He urged party members to remain calm, avoid any conflict, and remain where they were.