File photo of Sher Afzal Marwat
Police in Upper Dir on Sunday registered a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Sher Afzal Marwat; former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa lawmaker Fazal Hakeem; and several others for allegedly clashing with law enforcers after organizing a workers’ convention despite the imposition of Section 144 in the district.
The PTI had, over the weekend, organized various workers’ conventions in KP. In Upper Dir, however, attempts by police to prevent the gathering—ostensibly due to the imposition of Section 144 over security concerns—triggered a clash with party workers, resulting in injuries to one worker and several policemen.
In a posting on Twitter, Marwat claimed the FIR was an attempt to “spread fear” within the PTI and vowed to continue “resisting” attempts to sideline the party from the upcoming elections. According to local media, around 60 PTI workers have been arrested from Upper Dir following the registration of the FIR.
Additionally, the PTI also organized workers’ conventions in Swat, Karak and Abbottabad on Sunday. Attended by hundreds, the rallies saw PTI workers waving party flags and raising slogans for Imran Khan. According to Marwat, he was set to attend the Karak convention, but was unable to do so because of police barricades on the road from Islamabad. He then addressed the rally via telephone. He also urged people to mount similar rallies nationwide to ensure attempts to sideline the PTI were defeated.
In Swat, according to the PTI, around 200 of its workers and leaders were arrested ahead of the rally.