Pakistan: Police relaunch crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers for May 9 violence

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 12 (ANI): The Punjab police have yet again relaunched a massive crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers, claiming that the raids are being carried out for the suspects wanted for alleged involvement in May 9 violence in Pakistan, reported Dawn. 
The police said that they have been conducting these raids for the arrest of suspects wanted in the criminal cases lodged against the people who were booked for allegedly attacking military installations and buildings in May 9 violence. 
However, some of the sources alleged that the Punjab police high-ups have asked for these arrests of the PTI workers after PTI’s senior vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi asked the party workers to celebrate Independence Day by organizing rallies, according to Dawn. 
Dawn is a Pakistani English-language newspaper and is the largest English newspaper in Pakistan. 
They further said that the government authorities feared that the PTI workers might raise party flags instead of national flags on the rooftops on Independence Day and that might cause disgrace to the nation. 
On May 9, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan was arrested at the Islamabad High Court in the Al Qadir Trust case. After his arrest, protests erupted in Pakistan and military installations including the Lahore corps commander's residence and state properties were attacked in Pakistan.
Moreover, according to some reports, the Punjab police high command has issued instructions to the district and regional police officers to launch a crackdown to ensure that none of the PTI workers indulges in any kind of violation or law and order situation in the wake of their Independence Day. 
They have also asked the PTI workers to not take out any rallies or demonstrations across Punjab province before or on August 14, reported Dawn. 
Meanwhile, the Lahore police high-ups have been asked to establish the writ of the law on the streets and prevent any unforeseen incidents ahead of August 14. 
According to an official, a list of around 400 PTI activists, workers and leaders had been shared with other police officers in the Punjab province and has been instructed to launch a crackdown on their arrest. 
However, some of the news channels also reported that more than 1000 workers, activists, as well as, leaders of the PTI have been marked for arrest in the recent crackdown, as per Dawn. According to a local news channel in Pakistan, Punjab police have compiled a list of 4082 individuals for the arrest. 
Over the past two days, the special teams of police have raided around 100 identified places in several districts of Punjab to arrest PTI workers. 
Moreover, reports came from different parts of Punjab that the police teams were raiding residences, party offices and other premises to arrest PTI activists and workers, reported Dawn.
However, a PTI leader Musarrat Cheema complained that the police allegedly harassed her employees. 
Furthermore, the Police Inspector General of Police Usman Anwar stated that the provincial police were only arresting those criminals who were wanted in the May 9 violence cases. 
He noted that the arrests are not being done ahead of Independence Day. "We are after those who are involved in criminal cases”, he added. 
As many as 2138 suspects have been arrested in five major cities of Pakistan's Punjab province in connection with the May 9 case, ARY News reported. (ANI)