Zubair Qureshi Islamabad
The charged workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Wednesday, despite blockade of roads and presence of a large number of law-enforcement agencies at almost all the entry points between Islamabad and Rawalpindi, succeeded in entering Islamabad’s Red Zone and camped comfortably at the D-Chowk hours before their leader’s arrival.
This sudden move by the PTI workers opting for the D-Chowk instead of the Srinagar Highway came as a surprise for the Islamabad police that was less prepared to meet the situation.
The police was earlier stationed at the Srinagar Highway in the light of the Supreme Court of Pakistan orders that allowed the PTI to hold its long march and public meeting at the same place between G-9 and H-9 earlier given to Maulana Fazlur Rehman for a similar ‘million march.
However, immediately after the SC’s order, Imran Khan in a message on social media directed his workers to reach the D-Chowk instead and wait for him there.
The PTI workers whose morale has already been boosted by the SC’s order reached the D-Chowk eliminating all the barriers and blockades and by the time of filing this report clashes were taking place between the PTI and the police.
Police earlier in the day were in control and let very few workers of the PTI enter the capital from that junction. Likewise, on the Kashmir Highway (Srinagar Highway) the PTI workers were not given any access prompting the Interior Minister to ‘declare’ a success over the PTI.
