An uneasy calm seemed to have started prevailing as the Army troops were deployed in Islamabad after the large-scale arrests of PTI rioters and its top leaders including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, Asad Umar, Umar Sarfraz Cheema and Ali Zaidi under Section 3 of the MPO, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has started a series of violent demonstrations across the country to protest the arrest of their leader former prime minister Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday.
The government on Wednesday approved the deployment of the Army in two provinces – Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -- and in the federal capital to restore peace.
Islamabad police said troops had already entered the capital's sensitive Red Zone where government buildings are housed.
The violent protests were erupted in several cities of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the federal capital. Section 144 has been imposed there and the government has called in the Army to restore peace. A large-scale crackdown on the PTI leadership is going on across the country.
Former foreign minister and PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi was arrested by the Islamabad police in the wee hours of Thursday.
The PTI on its Twitter handle announced that Qureshi was transferred to an unknown place.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry was also arrested from outside the Supreme Court premises late Wednesday night.
He remained inside the Supreme Court building for almost 12 hours to avoid arrest but he was held as soon as he stepped out of the SC premises. .
Like other party leaders, the Islamabad police detained Fawad under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Ordinance (MPO) and shifted him to the Secretariat Police Station.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested PTI Secretary General Asad Umar from the premises of the Islamabad High Court.
ICT police says arrests as per law
ICT police tweeted on Thursday that arrests of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Fawad Ch, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Falak Naz Chitrali, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema and Malika Bukhari were made for their role in inciting arson and violent protests under a well-thought out plan for threatening peace.
All arrests were made as per the law, the police said.
The ICT police warned that more arrests are expected and warned people against spreading rumours and incitement amongst public.
Lahore police book PTI top leaders under terrorism charges
The Lahore police on Wednesday booked PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Murad Saeed, Ali Ameen Gandapur and other top leadership of the party in seven cases (four of them under anti-terrorism act) on murder, robbery, attack on police and dozens of other charges including offences for attacking the Jinnah House (the Corps Commander House) in Lahore Cantt, looting valuables worth over Rs150 million and setting it on fire.
The case was registered in Sarwar Road police station
Facilitators, planners and rioters will be crushed, warns Army
May 9 will be remembered as a black chapter, The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday. “We will not allow anyone to take the law into their hands,” the ISPR statement warned, adding that such strikes on state property will be dealt with an iron fist.
“We will not allow anyone to take the law into their hands,” the statement said adding that such strikes on state property will be dealt with an iron fist.
“On the one hand, these evil elements vigorously incited public sentiments to achieve their nefarious selfish goals and on the other, they kept shedding light on the importance of the army and its role for the state - throwing dust in the eyes of the innocent people. This is an example of hypocrisy.
“What the country’s enemy could not do in 75 years, this power-hungry clan has done donning political cloak. The army showed immense patience, tolerance and extreme restraint without caring about its own reputation.”
Seven dead in KP clashes
Meanwhile, at least seven people have been killed and 106 others got injured in pitched battles going on between the PTI rioters and police, said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police.
According to the KP police, four people were killed in Peshawar, two in Kohat and one in Dir.
As many as 296 people involved in rioting have been detained from different areas of the province.
The injured also included 36 law personnel, police added.
Peshawar police attacked
In a latest incident in Peshawar, miscreants attacked a police team in Hashtnagri area of Peshawar on Thursday. They pelted stone on the police party led by DSP.
Several policemen including the DSP and the local SHO were injured.
Imran Khan remanded, indicted
Imran Khan was remanded in custody for eight days on corruption charges on Wednesday. He was also indicted in Toshakhana case.
Hundreds of police officers have been injured and more than 2,000 people have been arrested across the country, mostly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, police forces reported.
The interior ministry has ordered mobile internet services cut and restricted access to social media sites Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Authorities have also ordered schools closed nationwide –- with year-end exams cancelled.
Reporters Farzana Siddique and Bacha Khan