• Sana terms PTI’s rally ‘criminal march’
• Body formed to decide action against PTI leaders
• Cabinet concerned by KP chief minister’s statement

ISLAMABAD: Expressing the resolve to block Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) next long march with full force, the federal cabinet on Tuesday formed a five-member committee tasked with determining what action should be taken against the party’s leadership for attempting to ‘invade’ the capital through violence on May 25.

“It was a criminal march and I have proposed strict punishment for the PTI leadership under Pakistan Penal Code,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said at a post-cabinet meeting press conference.

Flanked by the prime minister’s adviser on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Communications Minister Asad Mehmood, Mr Sanaullah said the PTI would not be allowed to stage another march in future, adding that cases had already been registered against the party’s leadership as well as thousands of armed marchers who damaged state properties.

He was of the view that strict action should be taken against them for trying to occupy Islamabad through violence.

“We have reports that the PTI has so far not planned another long march, but if it does, we will start arresting its leaders from that day itself under the already registered FIRs,” he said, adding that the committee had been formed to chalk out a plan of action to deal with anti-state activities.

The interior minister said the cabinet had expressed its concern over the recent statement of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, who said that he would use full force of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa whenever PTI chairman Imran Khan gave the next protest call.

The cabinet meeting also took notice of the former prime minister’s remarks in the build-up to his party’s recent march as well as his admission that some of the protesters were armed.

The meeting was assured that any anti-state march in future would be dealt with an iron hand.

Mr Sanaullah also informed the cabinet members that PTI’s Azadi March was an “anti-state conspiracy” and not a political activity.

He alleged that it was an “armed attack on the state” under the guise of political activity, and claimed that no law enforcement official was carrying a weapon at the site of the march.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had directed the interior ministry and law enforcement agencies not to allow security officials to carry weapons at the venue of the march.

The cabinet felicitated the nation for “rejecting” Imran’s Azadi March and lauded the law enforcement agencies for “performing their duties efficiently”.

“State resources were used to further the political agenda of Imran Khan and armed police officials from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were illegally included in the army of the criminal gang,” Mr Sanaullah added.

“When they were stopped at Attock, Mianwali and within Islamabad city’s limits, they opened fire at police officials and removed the barricades,” he said.

Mr Sanaullah went on to say that the party misled the Supreme Court and obtained a favourable order, which allowed them to stage a protest on a ground in H-9 sector. He alleged that all protesters that had gathered at D-Chowk belonged to “the same province” and had arrived in Islamabad a day earlier.

“We have marked all buildings and hotels [where they stayed]; we are noting in our report details about these people such as where they came from and where they had stayed,” he said, adding that some also stayed in the Parliament Lodges and KP House.

The interior minister claimed that the police had only used rubber bullets and teargas to disperse protesters, stressing that they (police) did not fire a single shot.

He said he had proposed the cabinet to allow registration of cases against the PTI leaders, adding that the federal government would have to grant permission for this as it was the competent authority.

“If my stance has any weight, the committee will inform the cabinet of its decision,” he said, reiterating that there was evidence to support the PTI’s true intentions.

“I am hopeful that cases will be registered and this group will be prosecuted,” Mr Sanaullah said.

Subsidy for Haj pilgrims

The cabinet approved Rs2.24 billion subsidy for Haj pilgrims, which would help reduce the pilgrimage’s expense by Rs150,000 per person.

The government had recently increased the Haj expenditure under the government scheme from Rs551,020 to Rs860,177.

The meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also approved proposals to import three million tonnes of wheat and 0.2m tonnes of urea under government to government and international tender basis.

The cabinet also consented to supplementary grants amounting to Rs7.56 billion for immunisation programme, Rs107.84 million for law and order, Rs200m for the law ministry, Rs50bn for the Energy Division and Rs24bn for Benazir Income Support Programme.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2022