Armed guards of protesting leaders, hardcore armed miscreants opened indiscriminate fire, says statement
The Ministry of Interior on Sunday said the Pakistan Army did not engage with protesters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) during its recent protest in Islamabad.
Disclosing shocking details regarding the recent “do-or-die” demonstration in the federal capital by the Imran Khan-founded party, the ministry provided a thorough account of the events that unfolded from the government’s negotiations with the PTI prior to the party’s November 24 protest march, on the order of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), to exposing purported social media propaganda, the violent incidents, and the economic losses.
The PTI workers’ march towards Islamabad was marred by sporadic clashes with the police as the latter resorted to tear gas shelling to deter the former’s progress.
The party has alleged the security forces killed its multiple workers, while the government has repeatedly denied using live rounds on the protesters.
“The LEAs comprising police and Rangers were employed without live ammunition to disperse this violent mob while the army neither came in direct clash with these miscreants nor employed for riot control,” the interior ministry said.
During this process, it said, the armed guards of the protesting leaders and the hardcore armed miscreants resorted to indiscriminate firing.
“The leadership under the cover of such self-induced violence instead of controlling the violent mob fled from the area. Once the area had been cleared from the violent protesters and miscreants, a site media visit was also promptly undertaken by both the information minister and minister for interior followed by the press talks,” the ministry said.
Shedding light on the unfolding of the violent events, the ministry said the IHC on November 21 directed the federal government to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in the federal capital. The high court had directed the interior minister to engage with the PTI leadership in this regard. Given the sensitivity of the Belarusian president and the Chinese high-level delegation’s visit, the former ruling party was initially asked to postpone the protest but on their persistence to continue with it, the PTI was subsequently offered Sangjani area as a designated location.
“In this regard, out of the ordinary and at odd timings, meetings were also allowed between the PTI leadership and its founder. On the contrary and in spite of the extraordinary concessions extended, the PTI violated the court’s orders blatantly and instead of holding a protest at a designated place [Sangjani], unlawfully breached entry towards the Red Zone of Islamabad,” the interior ministry added.
The ministry said throughout the protest march from Peshawar to Red Zone Islamabad, violent protestors of the PTI aggressively engaged LEAs repeatedly using firearms and all sorts of other weaponry including steel slingshots, stun grenades, tear gas shells and nail-studded batons to force their way to Red Zone Islamabad.
“This violent protest was primarily orchestrated and logistically and financially sustained and supported by the resources of the government of KP. Alarmingly, the PTI’s protest included violent and trained miscreant elements including many illegal Afghan nationals who spearheaded the riots and violent activities throughout the march,” it was alleged in the ministry’s statement. The miscreants, it added, employed as the violent vanguard, comprised of about 1,500 hardcore fighters working directly under absconder and proclaimed offender Murad Saeed — the senior PTI leader and former minister.
“This vanguard group, using militant tactics violently attacked the LEAs and breached the blocks with the help of government machinery paving the way for the second wave of vehicles and protestors to cross. It must be noted that LEAs personnel, despite sustaining grievous injuries, exhibited a high degree of restraint against these violent protesters led by trained miscreants,” it further said.
During this, the ministry said, a vehicle also ran over Rangers personnel performing duty at a check post in Islamabad, resulting in shahadat (martyrdom) of three Rangers soldiers and critical injuries to five others.
