Police, FC surround residences of Imran Khan, Sheikh Rasheed

ISLAMABAD: Police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) surrounded the residences of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in Islamabad and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed in Rawalpindi in the wee hours of Friday.

According to details, security forces put road blocks outside Bani Gala, the residence of the PTI chief. All exit and entry points of Bani Gala were also blocked. However all roads leading to the residence have now been opened.

As many as six buses police and FC arrived at the PTI chief's residence early Friday, according to police sources.

The forces were deployed to restrict Imran Khan from leading a rally in Rawalpindi tomorrow due to the imposition of section 144.

Police officials who patrolled the area maintained that they had not been given orders for Imran Khan's house arrest. They were only trying to monitor the situation, they said.

Security forces also surrounded Sheikh Rasheed's residence Lal Haveli in Rawalpindi. The Awami Muslim League (AML) chief is staying at his friend's house in Islamabad.

Sheikh Rasheed this morning had a rich breakfast of lassi and paya.

Speaking to Geo News he said he will hold a rally on Friday (today). He added that he is expecting to be arrested by the government. "But if my arrest is inevitable, I would want to be arrested while I am with my people."

Later during the day, his driver and guard were arrested by police while his car was seized, sources said.

PTI, AML workers arrested

On Thursday Islamabad police stormed PTI’s youth convention in Islamabad and arrested scores of party activists on the charge of violating section 144.

At least 120 members of the Insaf Students Federation (ISF) were arrested Thursday evening in a crackdown by law enforcement personnel against PTI in Islamabad ahead of a major anti-government protest on November 2.

Scuffles broke out between law enforcers and PTI leaders present at the venue of the youth convention, from where the ISF workers were arrested.

Video footage showed police and FC personnel baton-charging and arresting PTI workers at the venue of the convention. A scuffle broke out between the law enforcers and senior PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who argued with the personnel demanding an explanation for the arrests.

Two workers of AML were also arrested by the police in a crackdown outside Lal Haveli, AML chief Sheikh Rasheed’s residence.