In an uncivilized turn of events, the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan was manhandled at the Punjab University Campus today. He was later arrested by the police. A group of students kept him detained on the campus and later turned him over to the police. According to Dawn’s Report:
Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan was arrested from outside the Punjab University’s new campus on Wednesday after he had been manhandled and detained in the campus allegedly by activists of the Islami Jamiat Talaba. Imran Khan had gone to the university at the invitation of a joint action committee of students.
The visit had been approved by Qazi Hussain Ahmed, chief of Jamaat-i-Islami, to which the IJT is affiliated. On his arrival at the campus, the PTI chief was confronted reportedly by a group of IJT activists who kicked him around and punched him. They took him to a room in the Centre for High Energy Physics and detained him there for about 45 minutes.
This is an interesting (and sad) turn of events. Imran Khan‘s party and the mother party of IJT are both partners in APDM. Imran and Qazi have been seen together in many media photo shoots for the past year or so. Will today’s action by IJT guys will cause long term bad-blood between the two parties? It is left to be seen.
We strongly believe that inspite of political differences, no person deserves physical bashing and humiliation as was met out to Imran. Political differences should never be taken to such extreme where people use force to get their point across. It is wrong. Shame on those who manhandled him. I was recently reading an article on political bashing in the Wall Street Journal. It had a punch line which just kept resonating with me. It read:
Our politics suffer when passions overcome reason and vitriol becomes virtue.
Details on Imran‘s manhandling can be read here, here, here and here.
Samad, Bravo, You said it. Wish a good soul in whole Nation. I don’t know you meant it or it was also just empty words. I don’t see a single honest person in whole of Pakistan. Even all the leaders among pakistanis living aboard are nothing but bad, liars and irrational.
Two pieces from the Daily Times… one reports that the rally against the Jamati thugs attracted 3,000, which is 2,000 more than the 1,000 reported earlier… heartening to see, but what makes it even better is that the administration too is speaking out, with the Registrar, the Students’ Advisor and the Halls vice chairman all adding their voice…
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\11\ 16\story_16-11-2007_pg13_1
And what is the typical Jamati response? This:
“Jamiat to rough up Imran
Do cops typically work in plainclothes? In the videos of arrests and manhandling of Imran’s supporters and relatives, one can see a lot of people in plainclothes dragging the person to the police van. These men are quite liberal with giving blows with their hands, including on women. Are they regular policemen or are they just lumpen elements “joining the party” in beating up those they don’t like? They seem pretty blatant, if they are indeed policemen, manhandling even women in the full glare of the media!
Pretty impressive turn out at PU today. There were actually images of students, including women , tearing down IJT posters. Hopefully, the days of IJT ghundaa raj at PU will be numbered. I think they handed over Imran Khan to protect their turf.
bootan di sarkar
Habib Jalib
Dakuan da je saath na dinda pind da pehredar
Aj paireen zanjeer na hund jit na hundi har
Paggan apne gal wich pa lo turo pet de bhar
Chadh jaye te mushkil lehndi bootan di sarkar
If the dacoit had not had
The village guard as his ally
Our feet would not be in chains
Our victory would not defeat imply
Mourn with turbans round your necks
Crawling on your bellies, comply
Once the jack boot government is up
It