Punjab Police on Sunday apprehended Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Latif Khosa and Salman Akram Raja amid the party’s demonstrations in Lahore, Express News reported.
Confirming the arrest of his father, Balakh Sher Khosa, son of Latif Khosa, expressed concern over the incident.
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“It has come to our attention that Sardar Latif Khosa has been taken into custody, an act that is utterly deplorable and wholly intolerable,” stated party leader Sher Afzal Marwat on his official X handle.
It has come to our attention that Sardar Latif Khosa has been taken into custody, an act that is utterly deplorable and wholly intolerable.
The authorities in Punjab need to quickly stop this unfair behavior.
The liberty to protest in a peaceful manner is a right of ours.… pic.twitter.com/HPH7y5Pot7
— Sher Afzal Khan Marwat (@sherafzalmarwat) March 10, 2024
Marwat urged Punjab authorities to cease what he described as “unfair behaviour,” asserting that peaceful protest was their fundamental right.
Salman Akram Raja, another prominent PTI leader, was also detained by police. Advocate Muhammad Mehr Salim was among those arrested alongside Raja.
Meanwhile, rallies and demonstrations, organised by PTI supporters and activists, were witnessed across the country, with gatherings reported in Rawalpindi, Karachi, Kandhkot, Tank, and other urban centres.
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In Lahore, according to media reports, authorities deployed a heavy police presence on Mall Road and surrounding areas to maintain order, resulting in several PTI workers being arrested from GPO Chowk.
Similar preparations were made in Karachi, where police and Sindh Rangers were stationed outside the Korangi Deputy Commissioner’s office ahead of anticipated protests.
Tensions flared in Rawalpindi as PTI demonstrators clashed with police after being denied entry into the city via the Khanna Pul route. Several party workers were apprehended, only to be released later.
In Tank, PTI supporters marched from Sabir Bazaar to the Town Hall ground, expressing their grievances.
Protests also erupted in Faisalabad, Vehari, Khushab, Islamabad, Multan, Gujranwala, and other cities, indicating the widespread dissatisfaction among PTI supporters over the alleged electoral malpractice.