ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) put itself on a collision course with the government after Imran Khan annou­nced nationwide protests following the arrests of dozens of party activists, including women, by Islamabad police on Thursday.

Political temperatures are set to rise further as Mr Khan announced his intention to press on with the Nov 2 lockdown of the capital on Thursday night, despite an Islamabad High Court order and the government’s determination to stop protesters from reaching Islamabad.

Information Minister Pervez Rashid, however, did not rule out the possibility that the PTI leadership could be detained ahead of the Nov 2 sit-in.

Imran Khan calls for countrywide agitation; govt claims it will do whatever it takes to keep Islamabad open on Nov 2

“The administration has been issued directives to allow life and routine business to continue in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Nov 2. They can use any tool under the law to ensure this,” the minister said when asked if the government had any plans to detain the PTI leaders ahead of their protest.

“They will be stopped from reaching Islamabad. Whatever we have to do, we will do before Nov 2,” the minister said, adding that the government had “declared in categorical terms that no one would be allowed to spread anarchy in the name of democracy”.

Mr Rashid said that in view of the party’s record, the government could not trust the PTI leadership and it would not allow them to reach the capital city.

The call for a countrywide protest was issued by the PTI chairman after an emergency party meeting at his Bani Gala residence, hours after the local administration prevented the party from holding a youth convention at a private venue, saying that prior permission had not been sought for the event following the imposition of Section 144 of the criminal procedure code.

TV footage showed young men and women clashing with law enforcers and being hauled off in police vehicles. While the party claimed that dozens of workers had been picked up in both Rawalpindi and Islamabad, it was not immediately clear whether they had been charged with anything.

Mr Khan resolved to head to Rawalpindi on Friday to attend a public meeting at Lal Haveli and challenged the government to arrest him.

“We will see what they do to us tomorrow,” he said.

The PTI chief alleged that the party lawyers were not being allowed access to police stations where detained workers were being held.

Terming the rulers “sham­eless and cowardly”, Mr Khan condemned the police for manhandling his workers, particularly women, and claimed this police action would prove counterproductive as “more charged activists will descend on Islamabad now” to take part in the sit-in.

The PTI chairman asked the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to take notice of the police high-handedness, saying that it had allowed the party to hold its protest in the order passed earlier in the day and claimed there was no bar on holding private events behind closed doors, even after the imposition of Section 144.

The PTI chief also questioned the silence of other opposition parties and the government’s allies over the police action.

Responding to a question about reports that the government was planning to arrest his party’s leadership ahead of the Nov 2 sit-in, Mr Khan said that they were not afraid of any government action.

“What will happen then? We will come out one day. And when we come out, we will be on the roads again,” Mr Khan declared.

Before the IHC’s decision, Mr Khan had announced that he would go ahead with his Nov 2 protest plan, even if he was barred from doing so by the courts.

Govt meeting

Sources said that soon after the IHC decision asking both the government and the PTI to ensure freedom of movement on Nov 2, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held consultations with some members of his cabinet.

There was no official confirmation of the meeting, but sources said that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique were among those present.

They said the ministers briefed the prime minister about their recent meetings with leaders of other opposition parties, including the PPP and the ANP.

The government had decided to adopt a three-pronged strategy; it was decided that a team of government ministers would hold further meetings with other opposition parties to take them into confidence over their strategy to handle the situation arising out of the protest and use legal means to ensure that Islamabad remained open on Nov 2.

Earlier, in a press conference at the Press Information Department, Khawaja Saad Rafique and CADD Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the government was ready to hold talks with the opposition in order to forge a consensus over the law to investigate the Panama Papers leaks.

Launching attacks on the PTI chief, Mr Rafique claimed that thus far, the government had not decided to arrest Mr Khan, but no one would be allowed to shut down the capital city and curb the rights of the citizens. He said the government would ensure protection for schools, hospitals and the citizens of Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2016