Lahore police claimed to have arrested a PTI worker whose mobile phone allegedly contained an audio recording in which a person sought 20 to 30 “rioters” for the party’s September 27 protest, which was later postponed to October 4.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said that a woman identified as Fatima Haider, a ‘PTI Welfare Wing’ member and a suspect in the May 9 cases, could be heard in the audio speaking to a man named Amin and allegedly asking him to arrange people for the protest.
The DIG Operations alleged that the people were to be brought to Lahore after being given training and claimed the plan was aimed at creating a situation similar to the May 9 violence.
Police arrested Amin, who Kamran said was from Sahiwal and worked as a driver for the woman’s family. Teams have been formed to trace other people allegedly involved in the plan, he said. DIG Kamran said that police were also investigating where the alleged recruits were being trained and would have the audio examined by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA).
A case has been registered at Defence C Police Station, he said. “Peaceful protest is the right of every citizen,” Kamran said, adding that police had a responsibility to protect protesters as well as other citizens and public and private property. He said police had released the information to clarify what he described as the intentions behind claims that the planned protest would be peaceful.
Kamran also said another arrest was expected soon.
Separately, the DIG said police were investigating an alleged gang-rape case involving a foreign woman in Lahore’s Defence area. He said the woman was unfamiliar with locations in Lahore and that the case was being investigated jointly by the Crime Control Department, Operations and Investigation wings. Police have taken into custody the vehicle allegedly used in the incident, he added.