LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) says the establishment of the Riot Management Police (RMP) and the recruitment of 5,000 personnel “by the illegitimate Punjab government reflects Maryam Nawaz’s dictatorial style of governance”.

Over the past three years, PTI Punjab media cell head Shayan Bashir said the Punjab Police had been ruthlessly used for political revenge and to crush the PTI – an example unparalleled in history.

“Now, the formation of the Anti-Riot Force is a further step aimed at suppressing the general public, particularly the PTI, and enforcing Maryam Nawaz’s authoritarian policies on Punjab,” he said.

Instead of working to improve institutional performance and public welfare, he added, the state resources were being lavishly spent merely to prolong Maryam’s illegitimate rule and safeguard personal interests against national interests.

Similarly, Mr Bashir said the federal government had renamed Frontier Constabulary as Federal Constabulary extending its jurisdiction across all four provinces – a tool of terror used to suppress opponents and control provinces like the Federal Security Force (FSF) during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s regime. He said the federal government wanted to suppress the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s PTI government, trample provincial rights and bury the 18th Amendment.

Commenting on the arrest and apology of ‘Viral Chacha’, the PTI Punjab spokesman said the detention of Viral Chacha (Sajid Omar) by the Johar Town Police for expressing his frustration had triggered widespread backlash, with citizens calling it a blatant assault on free speech.

Forced to issue a public apology, Mr Bashir said Sajid’s case stood out as an overreaction by the regime, especially when venting anger against the rulers was common globally without such repercussions.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2025