105 workers of Imran Khan’s party arrested in connection with the attack on the army headquarters

105 more activists of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have been arrested in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s Punjab province, in connection with attacks on the country’s military installations in May, police said on Sunday.

“We have arrested 105 PTI workers on Sunday for attacking the Lahore Corps Commander House and Askari Tower (owned by son of former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa) in different parts of the city on Saturday,” a statement from Lahore Police said.

It also said that a crackdown has been launched against around 1,000 PTI workers who are involved in the May 9 attack and are yet to be arrested, who are absconding.

Violent protests erupted after the paramilitary Rangers arrested Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court on 9 May. His party operatives vandalized a dozen military installations, including Jinnah House (Lahore Corps Commander’s House), Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi was also attacked by mobs for the first time.

Police arrested 62 workers of Khan’s party in Lahore on Wednesday. Following the announcement to hold general elections in Pakistan on 8 February 2024, police action against PTI leaders and activists across Pakistan has been intensified.

According to PTI, 10,000 party leaders and workers have been in jail since early May on charges of attacking military and state installations following the arrest of the former prime minister.

The party’s core committee strongly condemned the state’s coercive tactics and retaliatory measures against PTI workers and leaders even after the election date was announced.