Pakistan: Several Imran party leaders arrested after police raid

Islamabad: Police in Pakistan’s Punjab province carried out raids at multiple locations and arrested several PTI workers and leaders in the wee hours of Tuesday, Dawn reported.
There were reports of a police constable being shot dead during the “crackdown” in Lahore.
These raids were carried out a day after ex-prime minister and PTI’s chairman Imran Khan announced the party’s much-anticipated “Azadi March” date which is scheduled to begin on May 25.
Khan had on Sunday demanded a date for a fresh election as well as the dissolution of assemblies. He also sent a message to the country’s military and asked it to adhere to its promise of “neutrality.”
According to PTI sources, around 73 party workers have been arrested so far.
Reports said that during one of the raids on one of the PTI leader’s house in Lahore’s Model Town, police constable Kamal Ahmed was shot in the chest and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. Police have launched an investigation to catch the perpetrator DIG Operations Lahore Captain (Retd) Muhammad Sohail Chaudhry said.
Raids were also carried out in the capital Islamabad.
Imran Khan condemned these raids and accused the ruling PML-N government of being undemocratic and fascist and said that these were an attempt to distract the people’s attention from the faltering economy.
The former prime minister also claimed that PPP, PML-N and JUI-F’s marches against his government “were never stopped nor did they carry out any crackdown on their workers”(UNI)