The charged workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – mostly young students led by two MNAs – stormed Sindh House “hideout” on Friday to “name and shame” the dissident party lawmakers, calling them “sellouts” for their alleged involvement in horse-trading in the no-trust hype against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The party workers led by PTI MNAs Faheem Khan and Attaullah Niazi resorted to violence as they barged into the lodges to throw the “sellout” MPs out after they announced to go against the prime minister in the upcoming no-confidence vote, which according to protesters could not have been elected even a simple councilor without Imran Khan’s name.

The workers chanted full-throat slogans against the PTI MNAs, calling them “lotas, traitors, men with no conscience” and “long live Prime Minister Khan”.

PTI workers storm Islamabad's Sindh House

They also smashed the plastic lotas – they had specially brought to “shame” the turncoats of changing loyalties after allegedly getting bribes from the opposition – under their feet.

However, a timely action by Islamabad Police led by DIG Awais Ahmad arrested 13 PTI workers and shifted to them to Secretariat Police Station along with the two MNAs.

Later, the MNAs were released without any FIR, and FIRs were registered against only 13 party workers. “If you want to go against Prime Minister Imran Khan, quit your seats that you won on the electoral symbol of the bat,” PTI MNA Attaullahtold reporters.

He said that the PTI workers will not let “lotacracy” derail the democratic government, adding we stand by PM Khan no matter what, and those going against our leader will find no place to hide their faces in public.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that he had ordered the arrest of those who were involved in the “unfortunate incident” outside the Sindh House.

Condemning the turn of events, he said that the situation was now under control, adding that he had directed the IG Islamabad Police to arrest all people involved in the violent protest, including the two MNAs.

“No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands,” he added.

The story was originally published in Business Recorder on March 19, 2022.