Karachi police break up PTI protest rally with batons, tear gas.

KARACHI -- Police resorted to tear gas shelling and baton charge on Friday when Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers, including women, marched on the so-called 'red zone' during their protest on the second consecutive day against the 'assassination attempt' on former prime minister Imran Khan.

The police rounded up a number of PTI workers, including women, thwarting the party's attempt to converge outside the Karachi Press Club.

Later the police claimed that the women workers were released shortly after detention though around a dozen male workers were still in custody.

It all started in the second half of the day when PTI Karachi president Bilal Ghaffar in a video message urged party workers, supporters and all Karachiites to join a protest on main Sharea Faisal near the Nursery bus stop.

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Before starting the protest, the workers gathered at the party office called Insaf House, where the leaders made brief speeches and shared a plan of the protest and vowed to stay peaceful.

Minutes after gathering on Sharea Faisal, which suspended traffic on one track of the main road, an announcement was made by the party leaders to march on the Karachi Press Club.

Heavy deployment of police force moved in an attempt to stop the workers, but couldn't find any success.

After marching almost a kilometre, senior police officials held talks with the PTI leaders but the talks failed. The situation turned ugly near Regent Plaza when the police fired tear gas at the protesters and drew their batons to push and disperse them.

The police detained several protesters, including women workers of the party, and put them in police mobiles. In the...