The FIRs name PTI founder Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, party leaders Ali Amin Gandapur, Salman Akram Raja, Sheikh Waqas Akram, and several local leaders, as well as thousands of unidentified individuals.
According to southpunjabnews.com, the charges against the PTI leaders and their supporters include terrorism, violation of the Assembly Act, attacks on police personnel, abduction, interference in government affairs, and defiance of Section 144, which prohibits gatherings of more than four people.
The cases have been registered at various police stations in the capital, including Shehzad Town, Sohala, Bani Gala, Khanna, Shams Colony, Tarnol, Noon, and Nilor.
The charges reflect the severity of the unrest caused by the protests, which led to clashes with law enforcement and disruption of public order. The PTI leadership and their supporters continue to face legal challenges as the government seeks to address the situation through the judicial system.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is facing mounting pressure following the abrupt end of its recent three-day protest in Islamabad with political figures speculating about the party’s future and the possibility of a ban.
Senator Faisal Vawda claimed that PTI is "going to be banned," citing the party's controversial role in the May 9 riots and ongoing political instability.
Vawda's comments, made during an interview on a local news channel, followed the violent clashes between PTI protesters and security forces in Islamabad, where teargas and other crowd-control methods were used to disperse the crowd.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has taken a more aggressive stance with the party announcing plans to table a resolution in the Balochistan Assembly calling for a ban on PTI.
The resolution comes in the wake of increasing calls from within the government to hold PTI accountable for the violence of May 9, a day that saw widespread protests and attacks on state institutions.
A former PTI member himself, Senator Vawda did not mince words when discussing the current leadership of PTI.
He accused the party’s leadership of being absent from the protest, stating that figures like Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan were nowhere to be seen, and PTI leaders failed to take responsibility for the chaos.
He targeted Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s wife, accusing her of playing a central role in PTI's current predicament.
"Bushra Bibi created trouble for the party," he stated, referring to her insistence on holding the protest at D-Chowk despite the government’s offer to relocate the demonstration to a less contentious area, Sangjani.
The senator alleged that PTI’s failure to adjust the protest’s location contributed to the situation spiralling out of control.
Vawda also hinted that PTI's leadership has made preparations to keep Imran Khan in jail, suggesting that the party's future is being shaped by those closest to him, with Bushra Bibi at the helm.
Earlier this year, the government had already hinted at a possible ban on PTI due to its involvement in the May 9 unrest, during which military installations were attacked, and the party allegedly sought to undermine Pakistan's economic deals, particularly with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said on Wednesday that the PTI protest is still ongoing, asserting that only party founder Imran Khan has the authority to decide when it will be called off.
In the early hours of Wednesday, the party announced a "temporary suspension" of its "do-or-die" protest, following a midnight crackdown by law enforcement officials that successfully dispersed PTI workers.
Speaking at a press conference in Mansehra on Wednesday, CM Gandapur emphasised that the protest, which had been initiated by Imran, was not just a political demonstration but part of a broader movement for Pakistan’s future.
Despite PTI’s repeated claims to be a peaceful party, CM Gandapur accused the government of oppressive actions against PTI supporters, including illegal detentions, violence against demonstrators, and restrictions on freedom of assembly. He also claimed that the party had been consistently denied permission to hold peaceful rallies.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, announced on Wednesday that a total of 954 protesters have been arrested over the past three days, with 610 of those arrests occurring just on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference alongside the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad, IGP Rizvi reported the seizure of more than 200 vehicles and 39 different types of weapons, including Kalashnikovs, 12-bore guns, and other firearms, from protesters during the demonstration.
"We have video evidence showing armed protesters advancing with masks on their faces," Rizvi stated, highlighting the seriousness of the unrest.
Additionally, the IGP revealed that out of 71 individuals reported as injured during the protests, 52 were law enforcement personnel. He further explained that protesters had employed large fans to blow tear gas fumes back towards security forces, intensifying the confrontation.
He emphasised that all roads leading to and from Islamabad are open, and routine activities are continuing without disruption. "No one will be allowed to challenge the state's authority," he asserted.
Life in the capital began to return to normal on Wednesday after a grand operation to disperse PTI protesters was completed, with business activities resuming and educational activities expected to restart tomorrow.
Following a night of clashes between security forces and PTI supporters, authorities in Islamabad began clearing roads and removing barricades that had been erected during the protest, Express News reported. "The operation has been successfully concluded and normalcy is being restored," a senior official told reporters.
The Ministry of Interior on Wednesday confirmed that no fatalities were reported among the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters during a major security operation aimed at dispersing the party’s sit-in in Islamabad.but social media claimed that 272 people were killed and more than 500 injured in the dispersing operation.
The protest, which escalated on Tuesday, was brought to an end after law enforcement agencies conducted a large-scale raid in the capital city.
PTI protesters, led by Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI founder Imran Khan, had gathered in Islamabad after breaking through multiple security lines, reaching the edge of the heavily guarded Red Zone.
However, the protest was called off after a sweeping midnight operation by security forces, which resulted in the arrest of hundreds of demonstrators.
In an official statement, the Ministry of Interior assured that no protester had lost their life during the operation, calling claims of such incidents “baseless and unverified.”
The statement further detailed that one police officer and three Rangers personnel were martyred in separate incidents in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Additionally, the ministry reported that 223 law enforcement officers were injured during the operation, including 171 from Punjab and 52 from the Islamabad Capital Territory.
Despite the damages caused to state and private property, as well as casualties among law enforcement personnel, the ministry stated that the operation had been carried out swiftly and effectively to restore order and ensure public safety.
“The peaceful resolution of this protest highlights the professionalism of the civil administration and law enforcement agencies in managing such challenging situations,” the ministry added.
The interior ministry’s statement concluded by reassuring the public of the government’s commitment to maintaining law and order, ensuring both the safety of citizens and the integrity of state institutions.
