Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI-F) workers are holding demonstrations in several cities to protest police crackdown against party’s MPs and activists in Islamabad’s Parliament Lodges. They have blocked traffic at several places.
Dozens of JUIF activists from Rawalpindi and Islamabad have arrived at the Parliament Lodges.
Police in Islamabad Thursday night arrested several members of JUI-F’s volunteer force Ansarul Islam from the Parliament Lodges, hours after they entered the premises. JUI-F MPs Kamran Murtaza, Jamaluddin, and Salahuddin Ayubi were also detained.
After the arrests, Fazlur Rehman announced a nationwide strike and called on his workers to arrive in Islamabad. He said he would present himself for arrest in protest.
Fazlur Rehman also told workers that if they could not reach Islamabad, they should stage demonstrations in their areas. This has sparked protests in several cities, news agencies reported.