PTI protest: 2300 workers arrested, 201 detained across Punjab

More than 2300 PTI workers were arrested while 201 others were detained by Punjab police during protest call. The highest number of arrests was made in Lahore, with 165 people being detained, while 950 were arrested. In Multan 490 while in DG Khan 192 workers were arrested by police. 

205 were arrested from Muzaffargarh, 45 in Faisalabad and 67 workers were held in district Layyah. Most of the arrests were made of those who came out to protest. Additional personnel have been deployed across the province to maintain public order. Lahore Police have intensified their crackdown against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), arresting over 400 active party members and leaders within two days. 

Those arrested include Punjab Assembly Deputy Opposition Leader Moen Qureshi and five other PTI MPAs. According to police sources, the crackdown targeted individuals involved in organising, facilitating, or attempting to lead rallies and protests, especially ahead of PTI’s announced protest campaign.

Deputy Opposition Leader Moen Qureshi was detained while leading a rally alongside five fellow lawmakers, including Iqbal Khattak, Farukh Javed Moon, Amin Ullah Khan, Shoaib Amir Awan, and Khan Salahuddin. All were taken into custody mid-rally in Lahore. In a dramatic display of force, Lahore police arrested PTI leader Rehana Dar, her daughter-in-law Arooba Dar, and lawyer Naz Baloch outside the Civil Court.

Despite being taken away in a prison van, the detained women continued to chant slogans in support of PTI founder and former premier Imran Khan.

Crackdown in Faisalabad: 39 arrested

In Faisalabad, police also launched a crackdown, arresting 39 PTI workers from across the district. However, no senior PTI leader was arrested, as local leadership reportedly went into hiding before raids.

Peshawar rally container hits high voltage line 

A PTI protest container prepared for a rally in Peshawar met with an accident after it collided with an 11,000 KV high-voltage line.

While the driver survived unharmed, the container’s sound system was destroyed, and one tyre burst due to the electric shock.

PTI protest call has failed as party leadership could not motivate workers to come to street amid tight security arrangement by the local administration.

PTI Lahore Chapter disappeared from the scene after giving protest call though several PTI MPAs and activists were arrested by police. Deputy Opposition Leader Moinuddin Riaz Qureshi was arrested for attempting to hold a protest rally at Pine Avenue in Johar Town area. Moreover, MPAs Iqbal Khattak, Farrukh Javed Moon, Sardar Nadeem Sadiq Dogar, Aminullah Khan, Shoaib Amir Awan and Khan Salahuddin were also arrested. MPA Shoaib Amir's clothes were also torn during the arrest. 

PTI Deputy General Secretary Shaukat Basra took out a rally in Gulberg, ticket holders Ch Asghar Gujjar and Hafiz Zeeshan Rasheed took out a rally on Canal Road. PTI Punjab Chief Organizer Alia Hamza took out a rally in Jati Umra. 

Police tried to arrest Aaliya Hamza, she escaped but the windows of her car were broken. PTI leader Rehana Dar, her daughter-in-law Arooba Dar and Naz Baloch were detained by the police. 

PTI Lahore President Lahore Sheikh Imtiaz Mahmood disappeared after giving a call for protest. Local PTI leaders and workers kept looking for the arrival of the Lahore organization but the they did not come out to protest. PTI had also announced a rally at Minar Pakistan but the party failed. 

Meanwhile, in Islamabad, police conducted a late-night raid at the residence of PTI’s legal figure Dr Babar Awan and reportedly harassed his daughter, triggering condemnation from the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA).

In an official statement, the Bar Association demanded immediate action from the Islamabad IG Police, urging departmental action against those responsible. “We stand with our legal community. Lawyers and their families must be protected,” the statement declared. Police have filed 15+ FIRs against arrested PTI workers and leaders across multiple Lahore police stations.  Charges included hate speech against state institutions, obstruction of government duties, blocking roads and public pathways, resistance against law enforcement, and disrupting peace and public order.

As per the channel report, divisional SPs have received strict instructions to prevent any PTI rallies or gatherings within their respective areas.

PTI legal wing activates for bails

In response to the arrests, PTI's legal wing – Insaf Lawyers Front, Lahore (ILF) – has formed three legal teams to secure the release of detained workers and leaders. ILF Lahore President Malik Shujaat Jandran has deployed legal teams at three courts including Model Town Courts, District Courts, and Cantonment Courts.

The teams are filing bail applications and representing detainees across the city. Police sources confirmed that several female PTI activists were briefly detained but later released after giving written assurances that they would not participate in protests.

Reporters: Waqas Ahmad, Usman Khadim Kamboh, Ehtisham Kiyani, Tayyab Maqbool, Malik Rehman, Ali Ramay