Hundreds of PTI workers arrested across the country

LAHORE (92 News) – Police have on Tuesday arrested around 480 workers of the opposition parties including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) ahead of planned protest on November 2. Pakistan police have launched a nationwide crackdown, arresting hundreds of supporters of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan in the run-up to an opposition rally planned later this week in Islamabad. The arrests followed intermittent clashes since the weekend between Khan's supporters and riot police in the federal capital that saw police using tear gas and batons to fight stone-throwing activists. In Lahore, Police raided different areas and detained around 17 people, while more than 33 people were nabbed during raids in Mandi Bahaudin. On the other hand, the more than 116 people have been arrested from Sargodha and 315 activists have been shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. The number of those arrested overnight ranges between 1,500 and 1,800. On Monday, a Pakistani court barred Khan's followers from demonstrating on Islamabad streets, restricting the rally to within the limits of a city park, according to Saddique Awan, a government prosecutor. As of last week, the government had already enforced a two-month ban on street rallies in Islamabad. Babar Awan, Khan's lawyer, said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party would appeal. The PTI has called for massive street demonstrations for Wednesday, threatening to lock down Islamabad in a bid to force Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister, to resign.