Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Saturday cast a shadow on the PTI’s long march when he claimed that the former ruling party was busy gathering men and weapons at the borders of the twin cities, planning bloodshed by pitting the people against the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) as he based his assertion on a latest leaked audio recording allegedly featuring its leader, Ali Amin Gandapur.
Addressing a news conference, Sanaullah presented an audio clip -- purportedly carrying the conversation of PTI’s former federal minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Gandapur with an unidentified man discussing about the availability of arms, licences and men near the capital’s border -- as evidence of his claim that the party was bringing weapons and troublemakers to the federal capital to create chaos.
The minister said the identity of the unknown person had been ascertained but not being disclosed. In the audio recording, a voice, allegedly that of Gandapur, asked the unidentified man about how many guns were there.
The other man responded: “There are many.”Gandapur purportedly further asked: “And licence?” The man replied that there were several licences. He added that there would be as many men as needed.
Also read: 'We are people, not sheep': Imran kicks off Day 2 of long march
The ex-minister allegedly told the man that “we are camping here in a nearby colony”, but asked which area was closer to the border of Islamabad-Rawalpindi.
Gandapur then purportedly asked the man if Top City or Capital Town was on the left side after the toll plaza.
The man replied that the Top City was on the airport side, saying he had “sent the whole map” to him.
“I have the [map]… just keep the men and equipment ready there,” Gandapur allegedly told the man, who answered: “Sir, no problem.”
Following the audio leak of Gandapur, a key cabinet minister told The Express Tribune that the government had decided to approach the Supreme Court against the PTI’s long march.
The minister added that Gandapur’s audio tape was proof that PTI was planning to create a law and order situation that might trigger clashes between the people and the LEAs.
A petition along with evidence would soon be filed before the apex court, the minister said.
The interior minister, who has recently earned the nickname of “Hakeem Sahib”, a traditional healer unlike the modern physicians, said the PTI’s long march was aimed at dividing the nation and an attempt to spread chaos in the society.
He added that this fitna (unrest) should immediately be crushed as it could lead to the country’s destruction.
Sanaullah also ruled out negotiations with those “gathering guns”.Meanwhile, Gandapur while commenting on the release of the audio in a talk show said that he was responding to the claims in his personal capacity and not on behalf of PTI.
Gandapur said that he has been hunting wild bore since 2013, saying he stopped hunting all other birds and animals before that. Calling the audio a mix and match, he said the audio wasn’t for Sanaullah if he wasn’t the animal he hunts.
The interior minister conjectured that PTI chairman and former premier Imran Khan wanted violence by pitting the people against the LEAs.
He added that either Imran wanted that or his own men creating such a situation where people lost their lives and the whole thing was presented as if the LEAs had killed peaceful protesters.
Sanaullah said Imran had hurriedly expelled PTI leader Faisal Vawda from the party just because he predicted bloodshed and coffins in the party’s long march.
Also read: No talks with organisers of 'bloody march': Marriyum
The minister alleged that the PTI chief was misguiding the youth and destroying the country, saying Imran was neither a politician nor had a democratic behaviour.
“If his behaviour was of a democratic person, then the [former] opposition wouldn’t have been his biggest problem,” Sanaullah said.
The minister’s remarks were a tacit reference to Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general's revelation on Thursday that he had told the
PTI government that economy was the biggest issue of the country, but it was wary of the then opposition.
Sanaullah, who is politically serving as an intimidating minister or force for the ruling alliance against the PTI and its long march, said Imran wanted to achieve his “satanic objectives” through a “satanic march”.
He added that the conversation of an ex-federal minister with small criminal groups, wherein people from Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s native town Gujrat were also tasked with the same objectives, could not be ignored.
The interior minister, while commenting on Gandapur’s alleged audio leak planning about bringing “weapons and men” near Islamabad with the unidentified man, questioned how could the PTI now claim that its long march was peaceful.
“He [Imran] should be ashamed of himself,” he added.
Sanaullah said he had asked the police chief to arrest Gandapur, who was in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to avert bloodshed.
He claimed that the PTI chief was also planning clashes between the LEAs and his activists.
“The federal LEAs are on alert and they will take action against him [Imran],” he added.
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