ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Friday asked the Rangers authorities to conduct an inquiry into Thursday’s scuffle between Rangers and PML-N leaders and workers at the Karachi Green Line track in Nazimabad.

Speaking at a press conference just before inauguration of the bus project by the prime minister, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said Imran Khan was inaugurating a project that was launched by Nawaz Sharif.

She claimed that the incumbent government had not completed even a single new project.

Ms Aurangzeb condemned alleged high- handed attitude meted out to PML-N leaders Ahsan Iqbal, Mohammad Zubair and Miftah Ismail who wanted to hold a symbolic inauguration of the project in Karachi’s Nazimabad area on Thursday.

Ms Aurangzeb said if batons were used on political workers, more incidents like the Sialkot lynching would take place in the country.

She accused the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government of embezzlement in the Covid-19 fund and the Benazir Income Support Programme, renamed as Ehsaas Programme.

Several PML-N workers, led by Ahsan Iqbal, and Rangers personnel came face to face on Thursday when the paramilitary troops prevented the PML-N leader from performing symbolic inauguration of the Green Line bus service at the project site, leading to a brawl between the two sides.

It all began when PML-N workers in line with the plan to hold a “symbolic opening” of the project started converging at one of the bus stations in North Nazimabad and were later joined by senior leaders, including Ahsan Iqbal, Mohammad Zubair and Miftah Ismail.

Amid slogans and in charged atmosphere, the PML-N leaders and workers, however, were stopped by a heavy contingent of Rangers from moving towards a pedestrian bridge where the party had arranged a stage for the ceremony.

Led by their leaders, the PML workers faced resistance from the Rangers personnel carrying sticks. The situation turned tense when Mr Iqbal came forward and started arguing with a paramilitary officer, insisting on exercising his democratic and legal rights.

At this moment, the scuffle between the two sides intensified and amid slogans and noise of the workers, the paramilitary troops stopped the PML-N activists forcibly.

In the process, the PML-N claimed, Rangers resorted to baton-charge that left Mr Iqbal and a woman worker injured.

The party workers dispersed and the ceremony was called off, but the PML-N leaders addressed the media at the site. They termed the Rangers’ action “state terrorism” and urged the military leadership to take notice of it.

Ms Aurangzeb said that according to a report of the Transparency International, 66.66 per cent people, who took part in a survey, said that the accountability process was not transparent, while over 86pc people did not believe in self-accountability of the government.

She said that corruption perception level in the country was at its peak and the PTI leaders even did not spare Covid-19 funds from their loot and plunder.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2021