LAHORE: Scores of PTI workers were arrested by Lahore police from The Mall on Wednesday in an attempt to thwart party’s planned rally.

 

The police have arrested a number of PTI workers and loaded them in their vans. Meanwhile, another PTI caravan has reached Zaman Park from The Mall. The caravan has a horse carriage and a band as well. The PTI activists were dancing.

 

Meanwhile, after imposition of Section 144, the police have decided that no rally by the PTI will be allowed to be taken out in the city. The decision was taken in view of prevailing security situation and fear of any terrorist act.

 

The police said any violation of the Section 144 will be dealt with sternly. Following the ban’s imposition, scores of PTI workers were taken into police custody on Mall Road for violating Section 144. All roads leading to PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence had been cordoned off.

 

Water cannons were used in an effort to dispel PTI workers while police officials also smashed the windows of their cars. Police also used baton-charge after the PTI workers thronged Canal Road and set up a temporary bridge. The road leading to Zaman Park from The Mall was blocked with containers.

 

The party’s official Twitter account also shared footage of the same. Earlier, the Punjab Home Department banned all kinds of protests, demonstrations and sit-ins in Lahore for seven days, citing the overall security situation in the wake of recent “wave of terrorism and threat alerts”.

 

A notification issued by the department said the ban was imposed on “holding all kinds of assemblies, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, processions, demonstrations, protests and such like other activities across the district Lahore to avert any untoward incident”.

 

The prohibition – imposed under Section 144 (temporary orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Code of Criminal Procedure – is to be in effect immediately.