The state and opposition parties were at loggerheads on Thursday as the Islamabad Police stormed the Parliament lodges and arrested JUI-F MNAs Salahuddin Ayubi and Maulana Jamaluddin among 17 others.
The move came after the police received information of members of Ansarul Islam— a volunteer force of JUI-F—entering the lodges in large numbers.
Taking notice of the incident, Islamabad Inspector General of Police Muhammad Ahsan Younus suspended officials in charge at D-Chowk who allowed the large group of people to enter the lodges.
IGP Islamabad then led a police operation and arrested members of Ansarul Islam and two JUI-F lawmakers from the lodges.
Videos show the police using force to drag people out of the parliament.
Reportedly, PML-N’s Khuwaja Asif was also injured in the incident.
Roadblocks and protests
JUI-F activists and supporters started taking to the streets across the country and blocked a number of roads to protest against the arrest of its MNA’s and the use of force against members of Ansarul Islam.
According to initial reports, the Peshawar-Islamabad was blocked for traffic by JUI-F protestors.
Moreover, Super Highway Karachi was also blocked by activists. Similar reports of tyres being set ablaze and main roads being blocked were also received from other parts of the country.
Earlier, Maulana Fazlur Rehman ‘declaring war’ urged his supporters to protest against the use of force and bring the country to a standstill.
Speaking to the media following the police operation, JUI-F chief said that the move to raid the parliament and arrest MNAs was unconstitutional.
He urged activists and supporters to come out on the streets and protest against the government.
