Two injured as PTI workers, police clash during election rally in Karak

KARACHI: Another violent incident was reported amid the ongoing electioneering for the February 8 nationwide polls as police and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers clashed during an election rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district on Sunday.

The activists from the former ruling party clashed with the police officials who raided an election rally being organised “without getting permission from the local authorities”. The party has expedited its campaign on founder Imran Khan’s call.

It emerged that the PTI workers hurled stones at the security vans after a clash broke out following the police raid on the election rally. In response, the cops resorted to teargas shelling and aerial firing to disperse the poll campaigners from the Imran-led party.

Rescue sources said that two persons sustained injuries in teargas shelling and aerial firing from the police. The wounded persons have been shifted to a nearby hospital by the rescue teams.

Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP), Takht-i-Nusrati, told the media that the organisers did not get permission from the local authorities. He added that several police vans were damaged after the political activists started stoning at the cops.

Speaking to Geo News about the incident, police officials said that the party had not sought permission to hold its rally as required by the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) code of conduct. The clash, which resulted in the arrest of 25 PTI workers, also saw media personnel, including a Geo News cameraman suffering injuries due to the clashes between party workers and the police.