Police have launched a crackdown against the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in different districts of south Punjab. They have started the operation in Muzaffargarh where a large number of PAT workers reside.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, PAT spokesperson Rao Arif revealed that three workers from Muzaffargarh, seven from Alipur, eight from Jatoi, three from Shah Kamal and two from Chowk Qureshi have been taken into custody.
On the condition of anonymity, officials from the special branch of the Punjab police have confirmed the arrests from Jatoi. The president of PAT in Jatoi AD Shehbaz, Tahir Azeem and the Naib Nazim of PAT in Muzaffargarh are among the party activists who have been arrested.
The detained workers have been taken to an unknown location and police officials have been stopped from revealing any details to the media about the arrests.
Meanwhile, the relatives of two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers from Chowk Sarwar Shaheed named Muhammad Maqbool and Azeem Afridi have also been arrested and shifted to an undisclosed location. The police have refused to speak openly about the issue.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2014.