Pakistan opposition imposes closure in Lahore

Lahore: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party, protesting since August against the alleged rigging in the 2013 parliamentary election, on Monday imposed a shutdown here in the city.

Activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf raise slogans during the anti-government protest in Lahore on Monday.— AFP

PTI activists gathered at various intersections here, where they burnt tyres and blocked several areas, closing down vehicular traffic, Dawn online reported.

The blocked areas include Mall Road, Liberty Chowk, Bhutta Chowk, Town Hall Chowk and the area outside the Punjab Assembly building.

In response, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) asked its members and officer-bearers in Lahore not to come out on roads in order to prevent any violence.

While police had been told to act if the PTI men try to forcibly shut down the markets, Imran had declared that his party’s protest would be peaceful.

On December 12, the PTI imposed a partial shutdown in Karachi.

Later in the day, PTI supremo Imran Khan joined a caravan of his supporters which was passing through different areas of Lahore after imposing a shutdown on the city earlier in the day.

According to officials, the caravan was expected to culminate in a rally outside the Punjab assembly premises, Dawn online reported.

Imran Khan was seen standing on the hood of the vehicle he was travelling in.

He was waving to his supporters and addressed them when the caravan reached Lahore’s posh Liberty area.

His vehicle was surrounded by a large number of supporters who formed a cordon of their own for security.

Meanwhile, a clash occurred between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI activists, however, no one was injured.

On December 12, the PTI had imposed a shutdown in the port city of Karachi which was supported by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

PTI’s earlier shutdown in Faisalabad on December 8 resulted in the death of a party activist during violent clashes with PML-N supporters and police.

Imran claims the 2013 general election was rigged and wants Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose power base lies in Lahore, to resign.

Local and foreign observers, however, have rated the polls as credible.

A heavy police presence was on the streets to prevent any violence, following clashes at a similar protest in the city of Faisalabad last week.

“A contingent of 15,000 police personnel have been deployed in the city to avoid any untoward incident,” senior police official Haider Ashraf said.

Imran has vowed to paralyse major cities around the country as part of his efforts to topple Sharif’s government.

A lengthy sit-in protest outside the parliament building in Islamabad in late August and early September led to brief violent clashes and destabilised the government.

Imran has warned that he and his supporters will paralyse the country on December 18 if their demands are not met.

Tensions have been escalating for weeks between the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Imran’s party. Imran alleges widespread vote rigging in the 2013 vote, which brought Sharif to power.

This is the third protest by Imran in two weeks. Earlier demonstrations were held in Faisalabad and Karachi.

Imran has vowed to shut down all Pakistani cities later this week with a string of demonstrations.

Meanwhile, Punjab government spokesman Zaeem has said that the citizens of Lahore have rejected the strike call given by the PTI and the traffic flow was normal on all road of the city, apart from a few sites that the protesters had blocked.

He said that a few hundreds protesters cannot snatch the rights of 12 million people of Lahore.

He questioned if the blockade of roads and creating problems for the public was the ‘New Pakistan’ envisioned by PTI leadership.

He condemned the forcible closure of Metro Bus service saying that PTI has started protest of violence.

He advised the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers to remain peaceful and not to respond to any provocation.