Daily Times

LAHORE: After the Islamabad operation against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY), protesters in the city blocked various major roads of Lahore city, including entry and exits points of the provincial capital.

Due to protests, long queues of vehicles were observed on different roads of the city, while major highways also remained choked on Saturday.

The city police also arrested a number of TLY members in different areas of the city and shifted them into undisclosed places. More than 7,000 police officers and officials deputed at all important government installations, private buildings, markets, offices, religious places and around the protest venues. The police high-ups also monitored the whole situation through the Safe City Project (CCTV cameras) across the city.

Extra contingent of police were also on stand-by to join the force after receiving any emergency call for security issue. Police high-ups called an emergency meeting to handle the situation in case the protesters tried to take the law in their hands.

The active members of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah gathered at Shahdara Chowk and blocked the intersection after burning tyres. They chanted slogans against the government as well as the police. The protesters included youth and teenagers, who took part in protest rallies in different areas of the city. Clashes between police and protesters also took place in various areas, in which both sides pelted stones on each other.

The TLY members also closed the level crossing near Imamia Colony, which completely disturbed the train schedule. The protesters staged sit-ins on different roads of the city, including the roads in front of Data Darbar and Punjab Assembly, Multan Road, Ferozepur Road and Walton Road.

Major protests were witnessed at Data Darbar Road, Imamia Colony line crossing, Ek Moria Pull, Begum Kot Shahdara, Bhatta Chowk, Khayaban Chowk Raiwind Road, Chungi Amar Sidhu, Ghazi Road Chowk, Ferozepur Road, Faisal Chowk, Mall Road, Timber Market, Shah Alam Chowk, Kahna, Jagawar Chowk Johar Town, Thokar Niaz Baig Chowk, Ghulistan Chowk Abbot Road, Gulshan Ravi, Ghari Shahu Chowk, Walton Road, Shahdewal Chowk, Mughalpura, and in front of the Lahore Press Club.

A large number of TLY members and other religious parties also took out rallies and staged demonstrations in Gujranwala, Gujrat, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Faislabad, Renal Khurad, Okara, Sahiwal, Sialkot, Multan, Pindi Bhattian, and other cities of the province to register their protest against the ongoing operation against the protesters in Islamabad, demanding a halt in use of violence against protesters in the capital.

The protesters also threw stone and bricks at Shahdara Police Station’s main gate and chanted slogans against the police. The anger mob also put on blazes some cars and bikes which were parked outside the main gate of traffic police sector of Shahdara Police Station. The police immediately closed the main gate of the police station to save themselves.

A number of protesters tried to close the Ring Road near Darogawala for some hours where police officers immediately started negotiating with protesters to clear the Ring Road peacefully. Later, the protesters cleared the Ring Road after successful dialogue. It pertinent to mention that the inauguration ceremony of the newly constructed Beiging Underpass had to be cancelled due to roadblocks near Mughalpura, Ghari Shau, Dharampura and other parts of the city.

While talking to Daily Times in different areas of the city, the demonstrators said that their protest was peaceful as they had the “divine right” to guard the absolute finality of prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and there would be no compromise on it. They said that only a person who believed in the oneness of Allah and the absolute finality of Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) could be called a Muslim and “we would protest on anything done against our faith by the ruling elite”.

They claimed that the government’s efforts were aimed at protecting those who tried to take to parliament a bill against Islamic injunctions, which would not be accepted. They said that when the ruling party claimed that parliamentary members could only be removed by the voters, why it was not inclined to accept millions of people’s demand to send home to a ministry who had tabled the “most objectionable bill” in parliament.

They added that the protestors were peaceful and would remain so, but would also not give a clean chit to any move against the Islamic principles.

At least 15 to 20 people, including some policemen, were reportedly injured in skirmishes with police at Shahdara and other areas of the city, where police has resorted to the use of tear gas to disperse protesters. In response, the protesters also pelted stones on the police officials, which caused multiple injuries to several persons, including road users.

The protests sparked panic and terror among the innocent citizens across the city. A number of markets situated around the protest venues immediately closed their business to avoid any untoward situation.

A police officer requesting not to be named said that upon receiving directions from seniors, all the police officers of the city had strictly conveyed the orders to all station house officers (SHOs) to ensure the implementation of the security plan at important religious places, markets, bazaars and other public places such as offices and residences within their respective areas.

SHO’s serving in different police stations across the city, requesting anonymity, told Daily Times that security had been beefed up in their areas, especially markets, religious places, bazaars, important government, private buildings and others.

The superintendents of the six divisions of the city said that the Lahore police were fully alert and keeping vigilant eye on anti-state elements. They said that special instructions had been given to all officers and officials to ensure 24 hours patrolling in all the areas. They said that that the SHOs themselves were leading the patrolling in their jurisdictions concerned.

Meanwhile, the provincial capital witnessed massive traffic jams on important roads as well as surrounding areas due to TLY protests across the city. Traffic police and other departments concerned also failed to provide safe environment and better facilities to the citizens but Lahoris are facing financial and mental torture due to TLY protests on the city roads.

Though the city was facing the traffic problem since many weeks, police have not succeeded to ease out the citizens from their trouble and mostly wardens were absent from the main squares, which created more abnormality in the traffic flow and resultantly, the traffic burden had to be shifted to other roads which also got clogged, as these had no capacity to manage this massive load of four wheelers.

A senior police officer said that a peaceful protest was the right of everyone but police were also facing serious problems in maintaining law and order situation and traffic flow on roads.

The people faced immense problems in reaching their destinations and they had to use alternative routes, which were also choked with heavy volume of traffic. DIG Operations Dr Haider Ashraf said that no one would be allowed to violate the law.

To a question, the DIG said that several people had been arrested so far and shifted to different places for interrogation. He added that a list of arrested persons was under process and would be released and would be share with the media soon .after its finalisation.

Published in Daily Times, November 26^th 2017.