Govt seeks report on May 9 damages

Islamabad Police arrest 564 miscreants while another 200 are expected to be arrested soon

ISLAMABAD:

 

The federal government has sought a comprehensive report from the chief commissioner of Islamabad and the governments of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and four provinces on the damage caused to the state and private properties by the protesters following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

They have also been directed to compile and send the details of the damage to public and private property as well as the expenditures incurred from the national exchequer.

On the orders of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the federal police have arrested 564 miscreants, while an action plan has been made to arrest 200 more.

Sources said that the Ministry of Interior has issued an official letter in this regard, wherein it has been stated that details of the injured personnel on security duties should also be provided.

Until now a partial report has been sent by the Punjab government to the Ministry of Interior, wherein it is stated that these partial reports had been compiled initially.

In the next few days, the reports of the overall losses will also be sent to the federal government.

According to the reports that have been sent so far, from May 9 to the night of May 12, violent protesters caused damage of Rs1 billion in Lahore alone. The total losses between Lahore and Islamabad amount to Rs12 billion.

Government property worth Rs250 million was damaged in the federal capital, while the initial estimate of damage to government property in Lahore is more than Rs1 billion.

The Ministry of Interior has been informed by the federal police that the protesters set fire to 12 vehicles and 34 motorcycles, including the office of the SP of Industrial Area.

Armed protestors attacked police stations while 11 Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and 71 police officers were injured in the violent protests.

Twenty-six cases have been registered against the elements involved in this. Islamabad Police have also detained 564 people involved in violence. More arrests were being made by the time this report was filed.

The federal police have also completed the process of identifying and identifying 200 more miscreants with the help of Safe City cameras. They are wanted in violent incidents of vandalising police property and disturbing public peace, including by damaging private vehicles.

They are also on the radar for blocking roads for the common people, stopping ambulances, and in some cases misbehaving with women and children and subjecting them to violence.

Following the premier’s orders, the federal police have finalised the action plan for the arrest of these people and have started implementing it on an emergency basis.