Daily Times

The PTI on Thursday issued a list of supporters that it alleged were still missing since party protesters were cleared from Islamabad in a state crackdown that the Rawalpindi police denied saw any open firing on the crowds.

A day of pitched battles between security forces and PTI protesters across the federal capital ended in a hasty retreat of the party’s top leadership and supporters from the Red Zone in the early hours of Wednesday.

At least six lives were lost in the three days of protests, which included a policeman and three Rangers officials who were knocked down by a speeding vehicle, officials and hospital sources said. Claims and counter-claims over deaths purportedly caused by law-enforcement action against the PTI marchers remained a major bone of contention between the government and the opposition party on Wednesday.

Separately, the Rawalpindi police held a press conference to address the protest, saying the police did not open fire on the protesters, nor did they injure any protesters, while providing casualty figures of its personnel.

Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer (RPO) Babar Sarfraz Alpa recounted the incidents from Nov 24, when the protest first began, saying the police tried to restrain the thousands of protesters who descended on Pindi and Attock. “The Nov 24 protest call started as a peaceful one but ended up being violent,” the RPO said, alleging that the protesters fired directly at the police and used teargas. “They became trained protesters, stood in front and used various government resources.

“But police tried to restrain and not injure anyone, so much so that there were no reports of any protester being injured, nor did any hospital report any injuries, in the entire Pindi district.

Protesters stayed in Pindi and Attock all throughout Sunday and Monday, and police engaged them and tried to restrain but they were fired upon and the protesters were violent, the RPO said.

“On Nov 24, 170 Pindi police officers were injured. Among the injured are SSP, SP, DSP, and other police personnel. Among the injured, two were victims of bullet shots and 25 are in critical condition because of the protesters’ violence with sticks,” RPO Alpa said, adding that the protesters also set fire to 11 police vans. He said that 262 policemen were injured in the past three months in Pindi.

“Police have registered 32 cases and 1,151 protesters have been arrested. When the data was checked, 64 of those arrested were Afghan nationals; four had resident cards, while 60 were illegal,” RPO Alpa said regarding the Nov 24 protest.

Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Khalid Mehmood Hamdani also spoke at the press conference alongside Attock District Police Officer (DPO) Sardar Ghias Gul Khan. The CPO noted that 24 constables were injured when police engaged the protesters upon their arrival in Hakla, adding that some of the injured were in critical condition, while Constable Mubashar Bilal was martyred. “Despite that, we did not return fire, we restrained, and we have no reports that any protesters were injured,” the CPO said.

He added that police engaged the protesters at the Sangjani motorway but had to retreat after a few hours so they didn’t “suffer losses” because the protesters were allegedly directly firing at the police. “People who had nothing to do with the protest had to suffer because of barricades on the roads, that was an unavoidable necessity, simply because of the protesters’ violence and the call that they would march on Adiala Road towards Adiala Jail,” the CPO said. “They tried to destabilise Rawalpindi but were unsuccessful.”

He noted that wireless communication, ball bearings and rods with nails on them were recovered from some of the arrested protesters. “The investigation is ongoing, and we will share more info as we get it.”

Meanwhile, the DPO shared photos of the injuries sustained by Constable Wajid Ali from Faisalabad. “After this firing and getting injured, police have two options: police, according to the law, can respond with weapons. The problem with that is there could have been collateral damage and we restrained. That left us with the second option that we strategically retreat.

“To save human lives, we retreated, after which the protesters took over Kati Pahari. But in that restraint, 170 of my personnel were injured, 25 of whom are critical. They have skull fractures, leg fractures and their backs are fractured. There is not one injured protester from Attock police. Not one single protester was injured by Attock police, this is not on record in any hospital,” the DPO said. He added that various things were recovered from the protesters, including personal items and “stuff they stole from the police and the people.”

“God willing the law will now take its course,” the DPO said.

Separately, PTI leader Barrister Ali Zafar has denied reports claiming that he met with party founder Imran Khan to discuss changes in the party leadership, including the nomination of Asad Qaiser as PTI chairman, as reported by local media on Thursday.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Barrister Zafar refuted the rumours, clarifying, “A fake news attributed to me is making rounds that Asad Qaiser and Ali Muhammad Khan have been appointed chairman and secretary general. I have not given any such statement.” The denial comes after reports surfaced suggesting that Imran Khan had removed Barrister Gohar Ali Khan from the position of PTI chairman and nominated Asad Qaiser, the former National Assembly speaker, as his replacement.