Lahore: Lahore police have arrested a man allegedly involved in a plan to recruit and train 20 to 30 youths for confrontation with law-enforcement personnel during a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference, he said police had recovered an audio recording from the mobile phone of the arrested suspect, identified as Amin, in which a woman identified by police as Fatima Haider, whom the DIG described as a PTI Welfare Wing member and a suspect in the May 9 cases, allegedly discussed arranging people for the protest.
According to the DIG, the alleged recruits were to be brought to Lahore after receiving training, with police suspecting that the plan was intended to create violence similar to the May 9 incidents. He said the police were also investigating where the alleged recruits were being trained.
Police said Amin belonged to Sahiwal and worked as a driver for Fatima Haider’s family. Kamran said investigators were tracing other people allegedly involved in the plan and another arrest was expected shortly.
The DIG said the audio recording would be sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) for forensic examination. A case has been registered at Defence A Police Station.
According to details reported from the FIR, police allege that Amin was looking for 20 to 30 young men who could be trained to confront police and other law-enforcement personnel during the PTI protest. The FIR alleges that the proposed group was intended to create unrest and interfere with police duties.
The case reportedly invokes Sections 186, 353, 120-B, 124 and 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code, relating to obstruction of public servants, use of criminal force against public servants, criminal conspiracy and offences concerning public order. The FIR names two suspects, including a woman, while three others have been listed as unidentified.
The DIG Operations said peaceful protest was a constitutional right of citizens, but maintained that police had a responsibility to protect protesters, other citizens and public and private property.
He said statements and material circulating on social media had prompted the police to investigate what he described as alleged plans to bring trained people from outside Lahore and create disorder during the protest.
Separately, the DIG said investigation into an alleged gang-rape case involving a foreign woman in Lahore’s Defence area was also under way. He said teams from the Crime Control Department (CCD), Operations and Investigation wings were jointly investigating the matter and that the vehicle allegedly used in the incident had