Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) accompanying the convoy of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur assaulted three police officers on the Peshawar-Islamabad motorway in Attock. The Punjab police officers, who were stationed on a bridge over the River Haro, sustained injuries during the altercation. Upon learning about the attack, KP Labour Minister Fazal Shakoor rushed to the scene and managed to rescue the officers.
To ensure their safety, Shakoor first took the officers to a nearby building and then helped them escape through a ladder to avoid further aggression from the PTI supporters. He stated that the protesters had demanded the officers be handed over to them, but he ensured their protection.
While announcing the decision to call off the protest and return to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chief Minister Gandapur said in his speech that although the PTI supporters had detained the police officers, they were handed back to Punjab Police with respect.
After violent clashes between PTI workers and law enforcement in Rawalpindi on Saturday, the protest was postponed. Commenting on the incident, CM Gandapur vowed that PTI would retaliate against any future use of bullets, tear gas, or batons against its supporters.
Gandapur alleged that police fired bullets at three PTI workers, one of whom was missing, and claimed that over 50 PTI supporters had been injured by tear gas shells and bullets fired at intervals along their route.
The convoy, led by Gandapur, was delayed for hours at the Burhan Interchange due to roadblocks set up by the authorities using containers to prevent the protest from advancing. Addressing the crowd, Gandapur urged them to return to Peshawar, condemning the government for violating PTI’s constitutional right to protest.
He expressed regret over the use of teargas and rubber bullets by the police but noted that despite the clashes, many police officers were captured by PTI supporters and later rescued.
“They started firing bullets […] We also have weapons,” Gandapur declared, while praising the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Rawalpindi Division for their steadfast support of the party.
