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ISLAMABAD: A day after its members protested in different parts of the country, the PTI spokesperson on Saturday denounced the government for an alleged crackdown on the ‘nationwide protests’ and demanded the release of a few workers detained by the authorities.
In a statement, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed a large number of PTI supporters took to the streets on Friday despite the hurdles created by the government. He alleged pre-dawn raids, fabricated cases, and heavy police deployment to stop the protesters, who “rejected the government and took to the streets in large numbers”. He claimed the PTI protest proved “public power” could not be crushed by using force while condemning the arrests of protesters and demanding their immediate, unconditional release.
He dismissed the government’s portrayal of family meetings with Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi as “confidence-building measures,” calling it “cynical theatre”. He pointed out that these were the basic constitutional rights, not favours, saying the government continued to subject the nation’s leader to prolonged solitary confinement and medical neglect.
The PTI managed to stage rallies in almost all major cities, except for Karachi.
