Karachi police arrest Ali Zaidi as PTI protests turn violent

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh chapter President Ali Zaidi was taken into custody by the Karachi police on Tuesday after protests erupted in the metropolis following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in Islamabad in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Although the police haven’t provided the reason behind the detention, a video of the arrest circulating on social media showed that police forced Zaidi into a white-coloured Toyota vehicle near the city’s Kala Pul area.

PTI’s leadership has asked the workers to take to the streets against Khan’s arrest and an “emergency committee” — which was formed in case of his arrest — is set to announce the next course of action.

Subsequently, PTI workers held protests in several cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan.

In Karachi, demonstrators clashed with the police near Nursery area on Sharea Faisal. They threw stones at and set fire to police vehicles, tore down street lights, and damaged a bus. There were reports that police fired teargas shells at the protesters.

Protesters also caused damage to public property in other cities, including Rawalpindi and Lahore.

Zaidi’s arrest comes just days after he came out of prison on bail in a fraud case after he reached an “out-of-court settlement” with the complainant.

Meanwhile, 23 PTI workers have also been arrested for protests at Sharea Faisal.