PTI leaders, workers flee from D Chowk, many arrested

ISLAMABAD: After reaching D Chowk in a defiant and triumphant mood vowing to sit there till release of Imran Khan, the PTI protesters and their leaders melted away in the darkness of the night as Rangers and police launched an operation late on Tuesday night.

There are unconfirmed reports that Imran Khan’s wife and KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur were the first to flee from Blue Area towards Kashmir Highway but they were taken into custody. However, there are also reports that they had fled to the KP House and police were trying to trace and arrest them.

Police sources said that Bushra Bibi and Gandapur had fled back to KP via Monal and Pir Sohawa in one vehicle leaving their security guards behind.

The PTI marchers after reaching D Chowk had taken over containers and some of them had climbed over it. In the meanwhile Imran Khan’s statement was issued from his X account asking the protesters not to move back. Imran also asked his other supporters to reach Islamabad and join the protesters.

However, in a dramatic move the protesters disappeared along with their leaders. Bushra Bibi who had vowed not to leave D Chowk before the release of her husband was the first to flee. Most of the protesters followed suit and some of them were arrested.

Security officials said that they have cleared the main D Chowk of the PTI protesters and taken many of them into custody.

The PTI workers were seen fleeing into residential areas where law enforcement agencies personnel were deployed who caught many of them.