Tepid response as only five PTI leaders court arrest in Rawalpindi

 RAWALPINDI: After Lahore and Peshawar, PTI’s Jail Bharo Tehreek (court arrest movement) HAS moved to Rawalpindi, but an “unimpressive” show resulted in only five leaders courting arrest.

The leaders along with 42 party workers, who voluntarily presented themselves for arrest, were booked for one month under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960, Rawalpindi division RPO Syed Khurram Ali has confirmed.

The PTI, which won six National Assembly and 12 Punjab Assembly seats from the city, could only manage to find five leaders who were willing to court arrest, Dawn reported.

A senior party leader told Dawn that local representatives were tasked with bringing at least 100 workers and supporters each from their constituencies but the turnout “was lower than expected”.

He said that at a divisional meeting three days ago, the leaders expressed their reservations and informed the local leadership of difficulties in convincing people to court arrest, Dawn reported.

The workers were assured that a team of lawyers had been formed which would get them freed within a day or two of arrest, the leader said, adding that workers “refused to buy the story.”

The PTI official said workers were miffed at local leaders, who, they claimed, did nothing for their welfare while being in power for almost four years.

“After I saw that former health minister Amir Kiani did not surrender, I also went back home,” the PTI leader told Dawn.

“Why should I court arrest if central leaders were not interested in obeying the directives of Imran Khan,” he said. (IANS)

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