A case has been filed against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and workers of RA Bazaar police station for violation of Section 144 in Rawalpindi.

The case, filed by the police, includes charges under MPO Section 16, Section 188 for violation of Section 144, blocking the road, chanting slogans against the Punjab government and other offenses related, Express News reported.

According to the complainant, police forces were present at Kalma Chowk to ensure law and order when PTI leaders Khalid Judoon, Mushtaq Shahzad, Khatib Rahman and Raja Babar led 15 workers in a rally on Dhamiyal Road.

The rally participants blocked the road and started chanting slogans against the Punjab government, prompting the police to arrest Raja Babar Hussain, while the others managed to flee into the streets.

The accused violated the ban by holding a rally, blocking the road and protesting against the Punjab government, thereby committing an offence.

Police said a case has been registered and searches are underway to apprehend the other suspects.

Earlier, a plea challenging the imposition of Section 144 was filed in the Lahore High Court.

The petitioner, Naji Ullah, represented by advocate Azhar Siddique, argued that the application of this section was a tactic to prevent the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from carrying out its political activities.

PTI protesters, responding to a call from their leader Imran Khan, took to the streets of Rawalpindi on Saturday, triggering intense clashes with police that turned the city into a battleground.

A sense of apprehension and tension hung in the air in the garrison town as the embattled party prepared for a protest in Rawalpindi with Section 144 in force, echoing recent clashes that marred its demonstrations of power in the midst of increasing obstacles.