Amnesty Condemns Repeated Use of Water Cannons on PTI Protesters in Rawalpindi

Amnesty Condemns Repeated Use of Water Cannons on PTI Protesters in Rawalpindi
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Amnesty International on Wednesday condemned the repeated use of high-pressure water cannons by authorities to disperse peaceful protesters outside Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi, Dawn E-Paper reported. The sit-in was staged after family members of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan were denied a court-mandated meeting with him.

“The repeated use of high-pressure water cannons against peaceful protesters is a flagrant violation of their right to peaceful assembly,” Amnesty said, calling on Pakistani authorities to respect citizens’ rights and end disproportionate and punitive use of force.

A March 24 Islamabad High Court order allows Imran Khan’s family to meet him twice a week, but his sisters Aleema, Uzma, and Noreen Khan Niazi, along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, have repeatedly been denied access.

Protests on Tuesday and early Wednesday saw authorities deploy water cannons from 2 a.m., followed by baton charges on remaining demonstrators. Several party workers were arrested, though exact numbers remain unclear. Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen leader Allama Raja Nasir, present at the protest, condemned the treatment of demonstrators, describing it as inhumane and unjustified.