LAHORE: PML-N senior leader Khwaja Saad Rafique has regretted that the law-enforcement agencies concerned have so far failed to stop Imran Khan’s supporters from entering the federal capital, warning that if the situation persists, the use of state power to restore normalcy to Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and surrounding areas may become unavoidable.

“Peaceful protest is the right of everyone, but resorting to violence, assaults and looting to press [the government for] demands is no one’s right. Islamabad cannot be handed over to rioters, yet the institutions concerned have so far failed to stop the PTI protesters,” Rafique said on X on Tuesday.

He said the leadership from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa did not appear to be leaving quietly under the cover of official protocol.

“The PTI has a tradition of launching assaults on Islamabad whenever foreign dignitaries visit Pakistan. Imran Khan stands unmatched when it comes to setting new records of violence, disorder, looting, and destruction during political protests, sabotaging successful negotiations in the process,” he alleged.

Indirectly, taking on the establishment, Rafique said: “Those who topple and form governments under the guise of ‘change, freedom, rights, and democracy’ with the connivance of state institutions have no real interest in freedom, democracy, or rights. These deceptive slogans are merely tools to fool the common man and seize power.”

The PML-N leader said that as a nation, “we have a tendency to learn nothing from hardships, trials, mistakes, and challenges. Both sides are acting in complete alignment with this national temperament.”

Castigating Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, he said instead of addressing the ongoing terrorism in Parachinar and across KP the provincial government’s attack on the federation, using state resources was a deeply concerning development. “If the siege and assault on Islamabad are not transformed into a peaceful protest, the consequences could be dire,” he warned.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2024