RAWALPINDI (MNN); Police have registered a case against PTI leader Seemabia Tahir and 25 other party activists for allegedly blocking Adiala Road and violating Section 144 on Sunday night. The case was lodged under Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO), 1960, along with multiple provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The action followed PTI’s call to observe a black day in protest against the conviction of party founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana-2 case, in which a special court awarded them 17-year prison terms on Saturday.
In anticipation of protests, strict security arrangements were put in place across Rawalpindi, with more than 1,300 police personnel deployed. However, no protests were reported during the day.
Police said that later in the night, around 9:15pm, a group of political workers led by Seemabia Tahir gathered on Adiala Road near Nasir Bakery. According to the FIR, the group blocked the road, causing traffic disruption and public inconvenience despite the imposition of Section 144, which bans public gatherings.
Constable Rizwan Nazir, who was on security duty, stated that the activists arrived on motorcycles and in cars, carrying PTI flags and chanting slogans. He claimed the protesters were carrying batons and ignored warnings that they were violating Section 144, instead continuing slogans against the government.
The police registered the case for road blockage, violation of Section 144, dissemination of rumours under MPO, rioting, unlawful assembly, disobedience of lawful orders and wrongful restraint.
Imran Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 and is currently serving a 14-year sentence in a £190 million corruption case. He also faces pending cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9, 2023 protests. Bushra Bibi is serving a seven-year sentence in the same corruption case.
In recent weeks, Imran Khan has reportedly been denied meetings with his family, prompting his sisters and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to stage sit-ins near Adiala Jail. These protests have, at times, been dispersed by police using water cannons and baton charges.
