Once Again Samaa News Expo Rana Sanaullah Lie… by zemtv
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 FAISALABAD: An opposition party worker was shot dead in Pakistan on Monday as hundreds of protesters clashed with riot police armed with water cannon and batons in the central city of Faisalabad.
The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice or PTI) party led by Imran Khan had vowed to paralyse the city as part of its efforts to topple the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whom it accuses of poll-rigging. The death has the potential to spark further violence and reinvigorate Khan’s movement, which had lost steam since his workers and followers of a populist cleric stormed the state broadcasting station in the capital in September. TV footage showed PTI workers clashing with supporters of Sharif as well as with riot police, who baton-charged them as parts of Faisalabad came to a standstill. Nabeela Ghazanfar, a spokeswoman for police in Punjab province, told AFP: “One protester has been killed and five others injured including two policemen. “The Punjab police chief has issued strict orders not to let anybody take the law into their hands.” A doctor in a Faisalabad hospital confirmed the death from bullet wounds and said five wounded were being treated. A government spokesperson said authorities were searching for the shooter, though Khan blamed supporters of Sharif’s party for the attacks and lashed out at police. “Peaceful protest is our right and it’s the duty of the state to provide security but the government tried to provoke our protesters,” the cricketer turned politician told reporters outside his home in Islamabad. “Our workers were being shot at in the presence of the police,” he continued, adding he would travel personally to Faisalabad to lodge murder charges. Political violence is relatively uncommon in Pakistan’s peaceful and prosperous Punjab province, though it has been on the rise this year. In June police clashed with followers of populist Tahir-ul Qadri in the eastern city of Lahore, leaving 14 dead. Followers of Khan and Qadri also clashed with police in late August after they joined hands to protest in the capital in an attempt to force Sharif’s ousting. Three demonstrators were killed and hundreds injured on both sides when the protesters tried to storm the prime minister’s residence. Both groups allege that Sharif rigged the 2013 general election that saw him sweep to power. On Sept.1 the opposition groups briefly occupied the state broadcaster. Since then the movement has lost some momentum but Khan has warned that he and his supporters will paralyse the country on December 18 if their demands are not met. Agence France-Presse |
