ISLAMABAD: Seven civil society activists and five cops were wounded when the police resorted to a baton charge and teargassed the protesters. They were calling for the recovery of missing persons at the D-Chowk and tried to storm the Red Zone.
The Elite Force and Anti Riot Force (ARF) participated in the operation against the agitating people.Amna Masood Janjua and 11 others have been arrested, sources said. They said the police refused to obey the order of the area magistrate and assistant commissioner for using force against the agitating persons twice but they insisted they do so. They said the police resorted to a baton-charge and tear-gassing of the mob to stop it in accordance with the decision of the top administrative officers.
The clash between the police and the protesters took place when the protesters started marching towards the Parliament House. The police tried to stop them at the D-Chowk but they tried to move forward through another route, which resulted in a clash after an exchange of harsh words. Some journalists and cameramen were also injured during the clash.
Police sources said 12 protesters, including two women, had been arrested. They said the Section 144 was imposed and any kind of protest and gathering in the Red Zone was prohibited.
They said the ban on gatherings and public meetings will remain intact in future in the Red zone. They said a case would be registered against the protesters who violated the law. Sources in the district administration said on the orders of Islamabad’s newly-appointed DC, the entry of Amna Janjua was banned in the area since morning. Instructions to this effect were passed to police via wireless, they said.
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif took serious notice and expressed his displeasure over the crackdown by the Islamabad Police on protesters headed by Amna Masood Janjua and ordered their immediate release.
In a statement, the prime minister said that in a democratic society, peaceful protest is the right of every citizen and no one has the right to brutally torture the innocent peaceful protesters. He ordered for the immediate release of the people and directed to take strict action for the officials involved in this unhappy incident.
The Islamabad DC released all activists arrested by the police following the PM’s order.Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has ordered an inquiry into the incident. He has also suspended two sub divisional police officers (SDPOs), the ASP (City) Yasir Afridi and ASP (Secretariat) Iram, terming them responsible for the incident and asked the DC, who is believed to be responsible for the incident, to conduct an inquiry into the incident.
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