The Punjab government has decided to purchase new tear gas shells to manage violent protests in various districts across the province.
Police sources report that 150,000 tear gas shells will be procured for Lahore, Rawalpindi, and other regions.
The logistics department of the Punjab Inspector General (IG) will oversee the procurement process, which has been allocated a budget of Rs.10 million. The purchase is expected to be completed soon, with the shells distributed to the relevant districts.
Officials from Lahore, Rawalpindi, Attock, Gujranwala, and other districts had requested additional tear gas shells due to the depletion of existing stocks after two years of protests by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
During PTI protests, particularly in Rawalpindi, violent clashes between demonstrators and police resulted in the city resembling a battleground. The widespread use of tear gas caused significant distress, with canisters impacting nearby homes, including those of women and children, who were inadvertently caught in the midst of political unrest.
Media personnel covering the protests also faced the effects of the police’s tear gas efforts aimed at dispersing the crowds.
A month ago, a PTI convoy led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, heading towards Islamabad’s D-Chowk for a protest, faced heavy police action as it neared Rawalpindi. The situation escalated at Chungi No. 26, where PTI supporters set a crane and a motorcycle on fire in response.
