‘Azadi March’ in Punjab: At least 3 officers martyred, 100 injured, say police

LAHORE: At least three police officers embraced martyrdom while over 100 were severely tortured by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists in different parts of Punjab during Wednesday’s clashes between the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and the party’s workers.

A police spokesman said on Thursday that Constable Kamal Ahmed, while being on duty, was shot dead in Lahore while two other officers Mudassar Abbas and Muhammad Javed embraced martyrdom when their bus overturned in Attock. He said Constable Mudassar Abbas hails from Faisalabad while Muhammad Javed hails from Sialkot.

“During the long march, 34 personnel were injured in Lahore, followed by 48 in Attock, nine in Sargodha and several in Mianwali, Rawalpindi, Jhelum and other districts of the province. The angry protesters smashed 11 police vehicles, damaged valuables, including government property worth millions of rupees and snatched two SMGs from cops,” the spokesperson said.

However, the police carried out their duties in all the districts of the province with full knowledge of the sensitivity of the situation. But the angry protesters inflicted severe injuries on the police personnel, he added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) Sohail Chaudhry denied social media reports that a PTI supporter namely Faisal died due to alleged police torture during the Azadi March.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022