Crackdown against Faizabad sit-in protesters begins
Police, FC and Rangers personnel launched crackdown against Faizabad sit-in protesters.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Police, FC and Rangers personnel launched crackdown against Faizabad sit-in protesters on early Saturday morning after the deadline given by the local administration to protesters to clear the main road expired at midnight.
The operation was carried out after police personnel repeatedly directed the protesters to call-off their sit-in. The officers resorted to teargas and rubber bullets firing over which the workers of religious parties hurled stones at them.
It seems that the protesters are well prepared to face government action as they are armed with catapults and sticks and wearing masks.
More than 100 protesters have also been arrested while few camps were also burnt to warn them.
The security personnel have cleared the metro bus station.
Inefficient safety measures for officers forced them to step back as the protesters severely resisted the action.
Meanwhile, an emergency has been declared in hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad whereas all shops and businesses have been shut in the area of the operation.
The informed sources further told that the connected roads and streets have been closed by the administration in order to bar more people from joining the sit-in.
Faizabad sit-in
Roughly 2,000 protesters from the Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan group blocked the main highway used by thousands of commuters since November 6, causing hours-long traffic jams in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The federal government initiated talks with the protesters on several occasions during the last two weeks, but all went in vain. The protesters continuously demanded the resignation from Law Minister Zahid Hamid over the alleged exclusion of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat clause from the nomination papers to which he denies. Both the parliament houses had restored the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat clause in the nomination papers in its original form through the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2017.
Earlier, the district administration in Islamabad had issued final warning to sit-in protestors in Faizabad to clear the main road by 12:00midnight and let them implement the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruling. Interior minister Ahsan Iqbal had called for a strict response for Faizabad sit-in protesters by saying that the government would not entertain illegal demands of the protesting bodies. The government would not surrender to the protesters who have camped in the capital for nearly a month as it would set a precedent, he added.
