The Punjab Police has arrested more than 100 members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in advance of the party’s protest, scheduled to take place on September 21 in Lahore. According to reports, these arrests were carried out under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Act, which allows for preventive detention to maintain public order, as reported by ARY News.
Prominent PTI members, including Aslam Iqbal, Waqas Amjad, Nadeem Bara, Mehr Wajid, and Mian Hasan (son of Mehmood ur Rasheed), along with 42 other workers, were among those arrested. The police have accused these individuals of causing disturbances and threatening law and order.
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The PTI rally, which is set to be held at Minar-e-Pakistan, was called by party founder Imran Khan to assert democratic rights. In response to the arrests, the PTI filed a lawsuit in the Lahore High Court (LHC), challenging the preemptive detentions. The plea, filed by Sheikh Imtiaz and Yasir Gillani, seeks protection against the arrest of PTI leaders and workers before the rally. It claims that the arrests violate the constitutional right of PTI members to organize rallies and requests the court to direct the police to stop further arrests and allow the rally to proceed peacefully.