The visually-impaired protesters advocating for their demands to have government jobs as per quota turned into a ‘battlefield’ at The Mall in Lahore when demonstrators attempted to march towards the Chief Minister’s House.
Punjab police intercepted the protesters in front of Lawrence Garden – Bagh Jinnah – where clashes broke out as protesters tried to forcibly dismantle barriers. The situation escalated as the protesters, undeterred, continued their sit-in near the Governor’s House, leading to further clashes with law enforcement. Several individuals have been injured in the confrontation.
In response, the police have increased personnel deployment on Mall Road and placed barriers on roads leading to the Governor’s House and Chief Minister’s House to prevent further escalation. The protesters have vowed to continue their sit-in until their demands are met. The situation remains tense as negotiations with the authorities continue. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif took notice of the protest of visually-impaired people.
The CM directed not to undertake any strict action to the visually-impaired people. She directed Chief Secretary Punjab Zahid Akhtar Zaman to resolve problems of visually-impaired people by talking to them. CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed her sympathies with the injured police personnel due to torture being committed by the visually-impaired people. She directed to treat visually-impaired people with patience despite torture being committed by them on the police personnel.