61 PTI Activists Arrested From Zaman Park: IGP

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Mar, 2023 ) :Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Dr Usman Anwar said on Saturday that so far 61 activists of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been arrested for attacking the police during an action at Zaman Park.

Addressing a press conference along with Caretaker Punjab Minister for Information Amir Mir here, he said the police took action in Zaman Park after getting search warrants, adding that the court had cleared that it was a legal obligation of the police to carry out the investigation process on merit.

He said that earlier the police action was halted on the directions of Lahore High Court, maintaining that the police team, led by Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore, DIG Operations and DIG Investigations, along with lady police officials, reached Zaman Park to clear the area and arrested the accused. Illegal weapons and petrol bombs were recovered during the action, the IGP said and added that the accused were identified and arrested through the help of the latest technology and CCTV cameras. Geo-tagging and other digital sources would be used for identification of the arrested accused, he added.

Dr Usman said that no innocent person would be arrested, saying that during the police action, the police did not carry any weapons and avoided any sort of violence against political workers.

He said that sufficient video evidence were also present for the arrested accused.

To a question, he said that police deployment would remain intact in Zaman Park as the court had not halted the police from investigation, adding that about 65 policemen were injured during earlier police action launched for implementation of the arrest warrant, but the police had not used even a rubber bullet against the PTI workers.

To another query, he said that when the police team reached Zaman Park, political workers carrying weapons resisted the action, but the police observed restraint and adopted a comprehensive strategy to control the situation.

Dr Usman also appreciated the police officers who took part in the action for avoiding torture during the operation and maintaining law and order with least damage.

Punjab Caretaker Minister Amir Mir said that the police had cleared the "no go area" in Zaman Park. He said that elections in Punjab would be held on time.