ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was arrested and taken to an unknown place as she tried to lead a “prodemocracy” march from the twin city of Rawalpindi to Islamabad on Nov.18.
Many opposition leaders and hundreds of their supporters were taken into custody across the country in a bid to foil the “long march” sponsored by the people’s democratic alliance to force the two year old Nawaz Sharif government to resign. The opposition alliance planned to hold a demonstration in front of Parliament building.
Former law minister Abdul Hafez Pirzada told reporters that police picked up Bhutto along with top leaders of her Pakistan People’s party as she drove along the 18km route to Islamabad after leading a mass rally in Rawalpindi.
Begum Nusrat Bhutto Pakistan People’s party chairperson and mother of Bhutto were also arrested while she was trying to lead a procession at Kamoke, 30km from Lahore.
Other leaders arrested included Air Marshal (Retd) Asghar Khan former prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi and the chief of the Shiite party Tehrik Nifaz Fiqah Jafferia.
Reports here said that hundreds of PDA activists were taken into custody in Lahore Hasanabdal Gujranwala and Rawalpindi all in Punjab and Peshawar in northwest frontier province after they were teargased and baton charged.
Clashes between the security forces and opposition supporters were reported from different places besides the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad itself.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 27, 1992
