ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday said that the next 48 hours will be critical in the political events that are unfolding.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Nisar appealed to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and said that laying siege to state institutions is not the democratic approach to protest.

“This is not the way to move forward in a democratic manner,” said Nisar.

“I say to the PTI and PAT that your freedom ends where my nose starts,” said the interior minister.

“Your freedom to protest does not entail the infringement on the daily lives of other people,” he said.

“Organisers of the march have a duty to ensure protests are conducted in peaceful manner," Nisar said.

“Where the PTI and TUQ requested to stage their protest we had accepted, said Nisar.

He stated that security agencies were not weak and it’s not the case that marchers could not have been prevented from entering the Red Zone.

“The government has taken a very responsible and restrained approach to the protests,” said the interior minister.

“Give me one example of protestors being baton charged, or of one protestor being taken into custody by security forces,” he said.

The interior minister said that as per a Lahore High Court ruling the marcher’s demands were unconstitutional, but the marchers had every right to protest.

“Nothing contrary to law and order shall be permitted,” he said.

Nisar said that containers had been put up for security reasons and that they will not be removed.

He said that marchers were under threat of terrorist attacks as per intelligence being received.

“We have received intelligence of the protestors possibly being targeted," he said.

Nisar said that, “Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri should vow that they will take responsibility, God forbid, for any terrorist attack on protestors”.

He also spoke out against rumors being spread that the government using dubious measure to break up the protests.

“Conspiracy theories that we have put something in the drinking water are simply false… if it was true then the song and dance routines would not have been able to take place all night,” said Nisar.

He appealed to Imran Khan not to believe or spread such rumors as he is a national leader.

“There is not going to be any measure taken to stop people’s access to food and water,” he said.

“Imran Khan please tell me a direction in which you want to go… using coarse language is not the proper thing to do.

“Majority of your demands we are willing to accept," Nisar said.

He stated that businesses, traders and others in the business community have all voiced their opposition to the march.

“We have no issue regarding constitutional demands and legal demands by the protestors…only though dialogue and democratic process can this situation be resolved," said the interior minister.