LAHORE: The provincial capital on Wednesday witnessed violent clashes between the PTI workers and the riot police, as the district administration had blocked all exit points leading towards Islamabad.

The police had to fire tear-gas shells to disperse the PTI workers near Bhatti Chowk, Shahdara, Aiwan-e-Adl, Ravi Bridge and other areas.

At some places, the PTI workers attempted to proceed towards Islamabad by pushing aside containers amid tear-gas shelling.

The vehicle of PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid was also damaged and she reportedly received minor injuries. Dr Yasmin, in a statement, alleged that the windshield of her vehicle was broken by the police.

To police tried to arrest senior PTI leaders Shafqat Mahmood and Hammad Azhar, who were leading rallies.The PTI lawyers and workers also scuffled with police outside Aiwan-e-Adl and Post Master General office.

The police, however, arrested dozens of PTI leaders and workers including Andleeb Abbas, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, Jamshed Iqbal and Ijaz Chaudhry, and some of them were later released.

Earlier, Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Lahore Sohail Chaudhry told a press conference that in the last few days the police had received information that weapons were being brought to the provincial capital to disturb its peace.

The DIG said the police chased five cars near the Motorway. Then the police raided the house of Zubair Niazi, PTI’s General Secretary, in Lahore and recovered a huge cache of weapons, including 13 SMG rifles, three pistols, 26 magazines and hundreds of bullets, which were apparently meant for use during the march, he claimed..

Meanwhile, the cellular services reportedly remained suspended in few parts of the provincial metropolis.

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