MULTAN: A security official deployed at PTI rally succumbed to his injuries after an unknown car hit him near Adda Bund bosan on Thursday.According to police, the deceased constable Mumtaz Ahmed was the gunman of Deputy Superintendent of Police Saddar Multan. Due to shortage of police Jawans, Mumtaz was sent for security duty of Imran Khan forcibly against his desire
The PTI chairman is touring areas of Multan as part of the party's membership campaign.
During his tours, three suspicious persons were arrested from different areas of the city.
At Vehari Chowk, before Imran’s arrival, PTI workers handed over a suspicious man to police.
At Chathha bridge, a man including a suspicious bag was taken into custody from a membership campaign camp.
At least seven people were killed and more than 100 wounded in a stampede in October 2014 at the Ibne Qasim Bagh Stadium minutes after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rally concluded.
The casualties were driven to Multan’s Nishtar Hospital where emergency director Dr Pervez Haider told that seven people – all aged between 16 and 28 years – were received dead while 45 were admitted to the hospital in a critical condition. Up to 78 other PTI workers were discharged at the request of their families while some were receiving treatment at the emergency ward, he said.
According to witnesses and officials, the stampede was triggered at the end of the rally when thousands of PTI workers scrambled to the exit gates of the stadium which was full to its capacity. The stadium has eight exit gates – all but three were closed for security reasons.
Of the three gates, one was reserved for PTI leaders, the second for families and the third for young party activists, organisers and administration officials said. The commotion started when power supply to the families’ section went off and they moved towards the gate reserved for youngsters.
Some youngsters tried to climb the gate in an attempt to escape the hot and humid conditions inside the stadium. And the shoving and pushing resulted in the stampede. Rescue 1122 officials tried to control the situation by throwing water on the stampeding workers.
The administration had deployed 2,500 policemen for the security of the rally, but the arrangements were disorganised as participants were climbing onto the stage unchecked, though it was reserved for the PTI leadership.
Before the stampede, 18 PTI activists had fainted due to the hot and humid weather and congestion in the stadium. They were, however, shifted to ambulances outside the stadium while the speeches of PTI were ongoing.
