<\/p>\n
PTI protesters crossed Islamabad Toll Plaza on Monday on their way towards the federal capital as the government vowed to not spare those behind a cop\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
The protest, which the government is determined to foil with force, was originally scheduled to be staged on November 24, but the convoys took a breather last night after PTI leaders said<\/a> they were in \u201cno hurry\u201d to reach the federal capital for their \u2018do or die\u2019 protest, as workers and supporters from across the country attempted to defy arrests, baton charges and tear gas to participate in the agitation.<\/p>\n The Islamabad High Court (IHC) last week ruled<\/a> that PTI\u2019s planned protest was unlawful and directed the federal government to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in Islamabad without disrupting public life, particularly with the Belarusian president\u2019s arrival today in the capital for a three-day official visit.<\/p>\n Amid the movement of PTI convoys throughout today, the Punjab government and police announced that a constable was killed at the hands of \u201cmiscreants\u201d at Hakla interchange.<\/p>\n A Dawn.com<\/em> correspondent present with the PTI convoy being led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said it crossed the Islamabad Toll Plaza.<\/p>\n The PTI also shared visuals of vehicles at the scene.<\/p>\n Sharing footage from the site, it said CM Gandapur\u2019s convoy had entered Islamabad.<\/p>\n KP Law Minister Aftab Alam said the convoy had crossed Chungi No 26 and the next stop was D-Chowk.<\/p>\n PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai earlier told Dawn.com<\/em> that the convoy entered Islamabad\u2019s limits from Sangjani toll plaza. The PTI also shared footage of the KP convoy in Islamabad\u2019s limits.<\/p>\n PTI leader Muhammad Basharat Raja said that multiple convoys were entering Islamabad.<\/p>\n PTI founder Imran Khan\u2019s spouse Bushra Bibi said in a video message released today that people were reaching Islamabad and called on those who had not come out to reach the capital.<\/p>\n She demanded Imran\u2019s release earlier. \u201cMy brothers, as long as Imran is not with us, we will not end this march,\u201d she said while addressing supporters at a stop near the Hazara Interchange. \u201cI will stay there till my last breath, and all of you have to support me. This is not just about my husband but about the country and its leader.\u201d<\/p>\n Bushra Bibi is a part of the convoy being led by CM Gandapur.<\/p>\n The PTI said the morale of its protesters was high. \u201cThose who considered Islamabad as their fiefdom and closed it for Pakistani citizens, they should now take notice!\u201d it warned.<\/p>\n Earlier this morning, an update shared by the party prior to the resumption of the march said that Gandapur was ready to lead his convoy.<\/p>\n PTI leader Sanam Javaid Khan shared an update on her convoy\u2019s location in a post on X at 1:33pm, saying they had reached Hassanabdal.<\/p>\n According to her post, Bushra Bibi, Gandapur, Babar Saleem Swati, Faisal Javed and Omar Ayub Khan were present in the convoy, among other party leaders.<\/p>\n Separately, Yousafzai, while speaking to Dawn.com<\/em> from Burhan Interchange in Attock, earlier said that the convoys had departed for Islamabad but were moving slowly due to their size as well as the presence of barriers. He claimed that the police had retreated after seeing the \u201chuge rally\u201d.<\/p>\n Yousufzai reiterated that KP CM Gandapur intended to reach D-Chowk \u201cpeacefully but at any cost\u201d, and that the rally was on the motorway near Burhan, Attock.<\/p>\n The PTI leader said that the processions from Shangla, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan and Swabi have converged on the main motorway near Burhan Interchange, adding that party workers came under shelling by the police.<\/p>\n He said that the Peshawar-Islamabad motorway procession was being led by CM Gandapur, Bushra Bibi, provincial ministers and other party leaders, whereas Hazara motorway processions were being led by Omar Ayub Khan, himself, Ali Asghar Khan and Speaker Babar Saleem Swati.<\/p>\n Yousufzai said that the party would only stop their rally once \u201cinnocent political prisoners\u201d, including Imran, were released.<\/p>\n He said the government was incompetent and that their vision was merely to \u201cbaton-charge the public and block the roads\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe government has only one goal: crush PTI. They are not political people,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are slowly moving towards our destination. God willingly, the truth shall win,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A post on X from PTI Islamabad showed Barrister Gohar responding to a question, saying: \u201cThis is Khan sahib<\/em>\u2019s final call, there is no such thing of calling this off.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a Dawn.com<\/em> correspondent said that all roads leading towards the red zone in the capital \u2014 except for Margalla Road \u2014 were blocked.<\/p>\n In Punjab and Islamabad, PTI leaders failed to mobilise the workers effectively as the police swiftly thwarted their attempts to hold gatherings.<\/p>\n Security personnel used batons and tear gas before rounding up scores of people in several cities.<\/p>\n PTI leader Asad Qaiser told Dawn<\/em> that caravans of protesters marching towards Islamabad \u201cfrom across the country\u201d would still take a few days to reach the federal capital.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rally coming from Peshawar to Islamabad is spread over 14 kilometres,\u201d he claimed, adding that similar numbers would be arriving from D.I. Khan, Abbottabad, Balochistan and other areas.<\/p>\n Although rallies have entered Punjab, \u201cwe have instructed our workers that we are not in a hurry to reach Islamabad,\u201d Qaiser told Dawn<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201c[O]ur destination is Islamabad but we can take a day or two to reach there and let the government machinery remain panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n Police officials, while citing intelligence reports, said PTI\u2019s caravan coming from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was likely to stay in or near Swabi on Sunday and continue its march on Monday, reaching Attock on the Punjab-KP border by the day\u2019s end. They are then likely to move towards Islamabad on Tuesday, sources claimed.<\/p>\n According to journalists, the caravan from KP had halted at Ghazi Barotha, short of Attock, on Sunday night. However, many groups of PTI activists defied police expectations and entered Punjab via different highways late on Sunday.<\/p>\n Groups from various parts of KP, such as the Peshawar and Malakand regions, entered Punjab from various thoroughfares after circumventing roadblocks on major arteries.<\/p>\n Another group of protesters from southern KP was en route via the Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway, while the procession from the Hazara region used the Hazara Expressway to enter Punjab.<\/p>\n In a brief speech near the Swabi Interchange, CM Gandapur urged the workers to \u201cutilise all their energy\u201d to remove hurdles on their way towards their destination \u2014 D-Chowk in Islamabad.<\/p>\n The main procession was also joined by protesters from Dera Ismail Khan, led by Gandapur\u2019s brother Umar Amin; Balochistan, led by Salar Khan Kakar; Tank; and South Waziristan.<\/p>\n The protesters had their first face-off with Punjab police near Attock. As police fired tear gas, they pelted stones and set fire to a toll booth and a van.<\/p>\n The skirmishes continued till the filing of this report, in the early hours of Monday.<\/p>\n KP CM\u2019s Special Assistant on Communication and Works Mohammad Sohail Afridi, while speaking to Dawn.com<\/em>, said that police had initially only blocked the roads by placing containers, but have since been \u201chiding inside bushes and pelting stones on vehicles\u201d.<\/p>\n In a post on X earlier today, the Punjab police said that Muzaffargarh Police Constable Muhammad Mubashir Bilal succumbed to his injuries caused by \u201cviolence of miscreants\u201d while carrying out his duties to maintain law and order at the Hakla interchange.<\/p>\n It said that Punjab police chief Dr Usman Anwar paid tribute to Constable Bilal, adding that his family\u2019s welfare would be looked after.<\/p>\n \u201cPunjab police will ensure compliance with the Country\u2019s constitution and law at all costs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It also posted visuals of another injured constable of the Sargodha police in Attock due to \u201cfiring by miscreants\u201d. It added that he was moved to The cop\u2019s funeral prayers were later offered at Rawalpindi. Addressing a press conference after the funeral prayers, Naqvi said: \u201cThis is not the first time that our personnel are being martyred. Last time too when they waged a similar assault, our personnel were martyred and today we have to attend those funerals again.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have clearly conveyed to all IGs and the Islamabad and Punjab police that those who gave this call [for protest], those who called the protesters, they will all be responsible for this [death] and we will not spare anyone. There will be cases registered against all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking after him, Dr Anwar said 119 personnel of the Punjab police were injured, four with firearm injuries and many with critical head injuries. He said over 22 police vehicles were damaged and over 22,000 Punjab police personnel were still stationed to deal with the protest.<\/p>\n The interior minister said it would have been very easy to respond in kind but the Punjab police responded to live firing with rubber bullets to mitigate damage on the other side. \u201cHowever, those who are irresponsible will definitely be punished,\u201d he said, adding that two personnel of the Islamabad police were in critical condition.<\/p>\nGovt says cop killed at Hakla interchange<\/h2>\n
\nTehsil Headquarters Hospital Hasan Abdal for treatment.<\/p>\n