Meher Bano Qureshi, Several PTI Leaders Arrested Amid Feb 8 Protests

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is observing a Black Day today, February 8, 2025, to mark one year since the general elections held on this day. Across the country, PTI supporters are organizing protests in defiance of Section 144, which prohibits large gatherings. The party has also arranged a rally in Swabi, further escalating the day’s events.

Despite the enforcement of Section 144, PTI workers are actively participating in demonstrations in several cities. The police arrested key figures from the party in Multan, including Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s daughter, Mehr Bano Qureshi, former Member of the Provincial Assembly Zahid Bahar Hashmi, and Daler Mehar, for violating the restrictions. The arrests took place near Pul Chhatta, and in total, more than ten PTI activists were detained for participating in rallies.

In Azad Kashmir’s capital, Muzaffarabad, PTI supporters attempted to stage a protest at Azadi Chowk. Several activists were taken into custody by law enforcement in the area. Opposition Leader of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, PTI’s Khawaja Farooq, narrowly escaped arrest after a dramatic chase. Police tried to arrest him by placing him in a vehicle, but the driver, a party supporter, managed to flee before the authorities could act. The police pursued the vehicle on foot.

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Later, Assistant Commissioner of Muzaffarabad confirmed that Khawaja Farooq had been arrested and placed under house arrest, alongside 16 other PTI workers who were taken into custody during the protests.

The protests are a continuation of PTI’s ongoing resistance against what it terms the controversial results of the February 2025 elections, with party leadership and supporters voicing their discontent with the government’s handling of the democratic process.