PTI gears up for Lahore protest as govt seals Minar-e-Pakistan

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to hold a protest in Lahore today, as Punjab government sealed Minar-e-Pakistan, ARY News reported.

As per details, containers have been placed on all routes leading to the location, and the police have arrested over 600 PTI workers in a bid to prevent the protest from taking place.

Over 10,000 security personnel have been deployed in Lahore to maintain law and order, whereas the metro bus service in Lahore have been partially suspended.

The Punjab government has also imposed Section 144 in Lahore to ban political gatherings, sit-ins, rallies and protests for six days.

The restrictions will remain in effect from Thursday, October 3 (today), to Tuesday, October 8, to maintain law and order and protect lives and property.

According to the notification, public gatherings could serve as soft targets for terrorists. The Punjab Home Department has issued the official notification for the imposition of Section 144.

The move comes ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned protest in Lahore today.

READ: Punjab deploys Rangers, invokes Section 144 in four cities

Yesterday, the Islamabad police arrested several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists including party founder Imran Khan’s sisters attempting to reach D-Chowk for a planned protest.

Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan, the sisters of Imran Khan, were detained by the police when they arrived at D-Chowk to join the party workers in the planned demonstration.

Imran Khan’s two sisters have been moved to the secretariat police station.

The capital police also took dozens of PTI supporters into custody and shifted them to the police station. The PTI workers and police personnel came face to face as the law enforcers used tear gas to disperse the protestors who in return pelted stones.