The PTI-led opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) took to the streets across the country on Friday, holding demonstrations in major cities, though the party could not pull off any protest in Karachi where law enforcement agencies sealed off the area around the press club.
In Peshawar, PTI MNA Shandana Gulzar Khan told a press conference that securing the release of former prime minister Imran Khan and stopping what she called the “bloodshed of innocent people” in the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were at the top of the movement’s agenda.
“There is unrest, inflation and insecurity across the country,” she remarked, adding that the federal government was denying the province its due share of gas, electricity and other resources. She also took aim at the federal and Punjab governments, accusing them of economic mismanagement and going after PTI workers and leaders for political reasons.
Senior lawyer Muazzam Butt, also speaking at the presser, noted that a constitutional petition would be filed in the Peshawar High Court seeking security for Khan inside jail, with the interior ministry to be named as a respondent. He added that petitions would also be moved against the continuation in office of the Chief Election Commissioner beyond his tenure.
In Islamabad, the party’s local chapter held a small protest on Lehtrar Road near Taramri Chowk despite Section 144 and heavy security in the federal capital. A few dozen workers and leaders turned up at the demonstration, which was held under the direction of PTI Islamabad Regional President Aamir Mughal and led by Regional General Secretary Malik Aamir Ali.
Mughal told a private media outlet that the party knew law enforcement had put in place arrangements to stop protests in the capital. “During the protest, we demanded that Imran Khan be released, inflation be controlled, petroleum prices be reduced and the rule of law be restored in Pakistan,” he stated.
He warned that if the government did not take up these issues, PTI would have no choice but to launch a full-scale campaign and agitation after Eid.
In Lahore, the TTAP Punjab chapter held a demonstration outside the Lahore Press Club in solidarity with Khan and other political prisoners, calling for their immediate and unconditional release. PTI leaders Shayan Bashir Nawaz and Mian Akram Usman, along with Haqooq-i-Khalq Party leaders Ammar Ali Jan and Haider Butt, were among those who showed up.
Those present condemned what they called rising political repression in Punjab, pointing to the presence of police at the venue and alleged midnight raids on the homes of activists the night before. Addressing the crowd, Ali Ammar Jan spoke out against the alleged harassment and intimidation of political workers in the province.
Police picked up three participants during the protest. TTAP Punjab condemned the arrests and called for the immediate release of all those detained.
In Karachi, law enforcement agencies placed containers at all entry and exit points of the Red Zone around the Karachi Press Club the venue PTI had announced for its demonstration shortly after Friday prayers, effectively cutting off the area. No workers or rallies managed to reach the site, though the blockade caused traffic disruption across the South district for several hours before the containers were removed.
PTI Karachi spokesperson Fauzia Siddiqui acknowledged that the party could not hold the protest, pointing to both the security situation and what she called “organisational issues”.
