• Ahsan states Imran is not a political prisoner
• Tarar says hospitals have denied receiving any dead bodies

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Thursday reiterated its stance on the operation the law enforcement agencies had carried out to flush out the PTI marchers from the capital, saying the security personnel did not fire on the protesters.

At a joint press conference with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Imran Khan was not a political prisoner but facing serious criminal charges.

“He (Imran) is not a political prisoner, rather he is facing serious charges on the basis of which no politician, public office holder or celebrity in the western world will be allowed to get off scot-free,” he added.

Referring to the May 9 riots, Mr Iqbal said no democratic country would allow any group to attack military installations of state institutions in the name of freedom of expression or act­ion. He regretted that PTI has always used its workers as fodder for their political designs.

Mr Tarar said that both major hospitals in the capital — Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and Polyclinic — had denied receiving any bodies or people with gunshot wounds.

Besides, he added, the Ministry of National Health Services also issued a statement denying the PTI’s claim that its workers were killed in security forces’ firing. The minister stated that a list circulating on social media regarding the death of protesters had been declared fake.

He alleged that PTI ‘miscreants’ were armed with latest we­­aponry and they tried to breach the red zone and wreak havoc.

He pointed out that security forces were there to protect the sanctity of the capital, adding that there was no reason behind the protest. He emphasised that the government had nothing to do with Mr Khan’s cases.

Mr Iqbal said the incarcerated PTI leader is facing serious charges of corruption and inciting violence, including encouraging the public to attack sensitive installations with the intent of sowing chaos and anarchy in the country.

It should be clear to the international community that Mr Khan is not being victimised, he added.

He drew a parallel to recent racial riots in the UK, highlighting the swift and decisive action taken by the British judicial system. In just 24 hours, the UK authorities brought the perpetrators to justice, sending a strong message that such acts of violence would not be tolerated, he remarked.

Mr Iqbal alleged that PTI had attempted to create mayhem in Islamabad in recent days, bringing armed protesters to not only stage a sit-in but also to occupy Parliament House, as they had done in 2014. At that time, they had stormed the red zone under the guise of staging a sit-in, eve­ntually overrunning Parliament House and setting fire to the PTV headquarters, he added.

He noted that PTI had established a troubling pattern of violent politics, beginning with the events of 2014. In the years, PTI has staged multiple protests and long marches, often using official resources from the Khy­ber Pakhtunkhwa government. However, these attempts were unsuccessful due to decisive action by the federal government.

Mr Tarar informed the foreign media that the Islamabad High Court had ordered that there would be no protest of any kind but the PTI openly violated the court orders.

“We offered them to protest at Sangjani near the capital where they could protest peacefully but they rejected the offer as peaceful protest was not their intention,” he said.

He further said that two days ago, a footage was released in which professionals in the protesters could be seen firing, using weapons, tear gas shells, and pellet guns.

With input from APP

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2024