ISLAMABAD:
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan played down the arrests of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) activists, insisting that the government had apprehended only those who had attacked state property.
“If PAT and PTI feel any of their workers were wrongfully arrested, they can come to us… anyone arrested by mistake will be released immediately,” he said, inviting both parties to join the committee which was providing evidence used as a basis for the arrests.
Nisar, who was addressing a news conference in Islamabad, denied the government was carrying a crackdown against PTI and PAT workers. “Both Imran and Qadri claimed those involved in attacks on state properties were not their workers… they should not be complaining now,” he said, recalling statements made by the PTI and PAT chiefs after the attack on the Pakistan Television headquarters and Parliament House.
The minister once again invited the two parties for dialogue, saying “we are ready resolve issues through talks.” Both PTI and PAT suspended talks with the government following the arrests.
Giving details about the arrests, Nisar said 20 people suspected of involvement in the attack on the PTV HQ have been identified. Of these, seven have been arrested, he said.
The minister displayed an array of photographs of protesters attacking the police and stealing electricity and water as evidence. Holding out images of torched police vehicles, he said two workers had been arrested on the Bhera Interchange for setting police vans on fire.
“Those who attacked police personnel on duty will be brought to justice,” Nisar added.
He denied PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri’s claim that his personal guards were arrested despite possessing licenses for their weapons. “Qadri’s guards did not have any arms licenses… no security agency approached us for their release as well,” he said.
Terrorist threat against sit-ins
Citing an intelligence report received last night, the interior minister told reporters that six terrorists had entered Islamabad with plans to attack the PTI and PAT sit-ins.
To counter the threat, Nisar said the government had boosted security forces’ presence and deployed the bomb disposal squad in the area. Authorities have also banned pillion riding for 10 days, he said.
“No matter how unconstitutional and undemocratic these marches are, the aim of the government has been to safeguard citizens.”
At the same time, Nisar said “women and children are being used as fodder for PTI and PAT leaders’ political ambitions.” He said letters had been sent to the leaders of both parties, telling them that they would be responsible in case of any untoward incident.
When asked why the government had not asked the army to clear the Constitution Avenue of protesters in the wake of these threats, the minister said doing so would be ‘inappropriate’. “The police have the capacity [to deal with this] … it was able to mount a response when protesters attacked [state buildings].”
Use of force against media persons
While he appreciated the media for helping the government identify those involved in attacks on the PTV HQ and Parliament House by recording the incidents, Nisar said nothing about police’s use of force against media persons.
Earlier, during the joint session of parliament, Nisar had said that a committee had been set up to investigate the use of force against media persons. When asked for updates on the matter during Saturday’s news conference, he said, “Unfortunately I do not know about the progress [of the investigation].”
“We would like to include some retired judges in the committee along with representatives of the media for thorough investigations,” he said, promising that he will give an update on the issue today (Sunday).
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2014.
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