According to the Islamabad Police, 316 PTI supporters have been detained thus far for allegedly attacking police and causing mayhem outside the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) on March 18 when PTI Chairman Imran Khan appeared there for a court hearing.
After the former prime minister arrived at the FJC to attend a hearing in the Toshakhana case on Saturday, there were reports of hours-long clashes between PTI workers and the capital police.
A group of law enforcement officers and PTI supporters engaged in a violent altercation, using anti-riot gear and tear gas to push the other side back. Along with petrol bombs to set the police’s vehicles on fire, the PTI attacked the police with rocks.
The Islamabad Police had also lodged a first information report (FIR) — including terrorism charges — against Imran and more than a dozen PTI leaders.
In a tweet today, the police accused PTI supporters of “incitement, arson, vandalism [and] attacks on police”.
It added that police teams were conducting further raids for more arrests and that the identification process of all suspects with the help of cameras was underway.
The police further said, “Other districts are being alerted about the suspects arrested for being involved in violent incidents so that they (suspects) could be handed over to them (those districts).”
The Islamabad police also detailed its plan of action against various individuals — including government officials, company employees and immigrants — if found to have been involved in Saturday’s chaotic events.
On the matter of the suspected involvement of any government officials in the “violent actions”, the capital police said alerts of their involvement were being sent to the “relevant departments so that departmental action could be taken”.
It added that civil servants active on social media who were involved in the “inciting actions” were also being identified so departmental action could be taken against them as well.
Alerts about the involvement of employees from private organisations and companies in “terrorist activities” would be sent to their respective organisations, the Islamabad police asserted.
“Letters are being written to the respective foreign embassies of the immigrants found involved in these actions. Legal action is also being taken against the facilitators financially assisting these violent protests,” the police further said.
Summarising the losses, it said that “58 police officials were injured during the violent vandalism while 12 cars, 20 motorcycles and a police chowki (checkpost) were set on fire”.
Imran claims that his nephew was tortured in detention
A day after an Islamabad district and sessions court on Tuesday granted police his two-day physical remand in a case related to misbehaving with officials, Imran today alleged that his nephew Hassaan Niazi was tortured while in custody.
In a tweet today, the former premier said: “[I] strongly condemn the custodial torture that is being done on our workers & leaders including Amjad Niazi, & now, from what I have learnt, on Hassaan Niazi who was first abducted immediately after he got bail, and then named falsely in another FIR.
“Shameful fascism and law of the jungle,” he added.
Niazi was re-arrested on Monday in a separate case as he was leaving the FJC after securing pre-arrest bail in three cases.
He had obtained bail from the Anti-Terrorism Court in cases registered against him and other PTI supporters in connection with violence that took place on Feb 28 and March 18 when PTI chief Imran appeared in the FJC.
The FIR — which relates to the alleged misbehaviour with officials — alleged that the police had tried to stop Niazi’s vehicle but the driver tried to run them over. It said that upon being stopped, Niazi stepped out of the vehicle, verbally abused the police and threatened to shoot them.
Islamabad police had sought a 10-day physical remand of Niazi but the court granted a 2-day physical remand.