World News | PML-N Says Its Supporters 'tortured' at Symbolic Inauguration of Karachi's Green Line Project

Karachi, Dec 9 (PTI) Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday alleged that its workers had been "tortured" by security personnel and subjected to "state-sponsored violence" in Karachi during a symbolic inauguration of the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit project.

The project was launched by the PML-N government in 2016 and its foundation was laid by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

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Prime Minister Imran Khan is due to inaugurate the Green Line project on Friday.

PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal along with PML-N workers and senior party leaders reached Karachi's Nazimabad No 7 for the symbolic inauguration of the project but the situation escalated when he was stopped from moving further after his arrival at the site.

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Iqbal said Rangers and police had created hindrances for them and had prevented their workers from reaching the site.

He estimated that around 200 to 250 PML-N workers were present on the occasion and they were "pushed back and baton-charged".

Iqbal said PML-N workers had been subjected to "state-sponsored violence" and that he had also been hit on his arms with sticks.

Another senior party leader, Miftah Ismail, said that Iqbal was beaten with sticks twice and a leader from the party's women wing, Perveen Bashir, suffered bruises on her finger when she was hit.

Iqbal said that the project was supposed to reach completion in 2018, alleging that its execution was delayed because it was initiated by his party.

Meanwhile, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident and demanded an investigation into the matter and action against those responsible.

In a statement, he alleged that "Rangers used force against PML-N leaders and workers on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan".

"Ahsan Iqbal and PML-N workers being subjected to baton-charge, torture and ill-treatment is condemnable and unfortunate," he said. "Political workers being tortured is unacceptable."

The Green Line project was originally estimated to get completed within a year with an estimated cost of Rs 16.85 billion funded by the federal government but it took more than five years and Rs 35 billion to finish amidst painfully slow construction.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)