Shehbaz likens PTI to outlawed TTP

Drawing parallels between the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned on Sunday that those involved in the May 9 violence would be dealt with iron hand.

Addressing a meeting on the law and order in Lahore, Shehbaz reiterated that those involved in vandalism, and planning, inciting, and raising slogans against the armed forces and using abusive language would not be spared.

“The 9th of May was the darkest day in the history of Pakistan, when a political party of the country committed anti-state acts of the sort that even the enemy couldn’t think of,” Shehbaz told the meeting.

Violence erupted across the country following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on May 9. The rioters attacked public and private property, including sensitive military installations.

The protesters burnt down the Jinnah House in Lahore, which was being used as the residence of the corps commander. Besides there was an attack on the army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and the martyrs monument in several cities.

Shehbaz stated that previously militants attacked Quaid Azam’s residence in Ziarat, while Imran and his mob attacked the Jinnah House in Lahore, burning it to ashes, adding that the TTP had attacked the GHQ, and so did the PTI.

Read May 9 Black Day: shock-and-awe response

“Not only the GHQ but [the PTI also attacked] the Radio Pakistan building and FC School. Militants attacked our air force installations, while PTI destroyed an affixed plane in Mianwali that was once used against the enemy,” he said.

The prime minister said that these incidents would haunt Pakistani for the years to come. Therefore, “it has been decided that those involved in these incidents would not be spared in any way”, he added.

"This is not a joke," Shehbaz exclaimed. "The terrorism committed by the mob on the orders of Imran Niazi achieved goals that even the worst enemies of the country could not achieve in the past 75 years," he continued.

"It has been decided [by the government] that no individual will be spared, whether they were involved in planning, instigation, propagating foul words [against the state] or vandalism," he said.

However, in his address, the prime minister did not mention military courts. He said: “The cases [of damage to civilian buildings] will be tried under the Anti-Terrorism Act and those of military installations, will be tried under the relevant laws.”

The meeting, also attended by Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, reviewed the law and order situation. Shehbaz received a briefing on the arrests and legal progress for the capture of all the characters involved in the violence.

Read More May 9 riots were Pakistan's ‘9/11 attack' on its national interests: Iqbal

During his stay in Lahore, Shehbaz visited Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. During the meeting, the PML-Q chief praised the prime minister for his efforts for steering the country’s economy out of the rut.

The meeting was also attended by Shujaat’s sons, Federal Minister Salik Hussain and PML-Q General Secretary Shafay Hussain. Chaudhry Shafay later said that both the leaders agreed that they would work together for the betterment of the country.

Meanwhile, Shehbaz said on his Twitter handle that it was his cherished desire to transform the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) into a splendid institute, but PTI chief Imran Khan and a former chief justice had caused huge damage to it.

The prime minister said that the PKLI had always been close to his heart and he wanted it to become an identity for Pakistan in the rest of the world for the best treatment facilities in kidney and liver diseases.

“But alas! Imran Niazi and a former chief justice out of their politics and personal interests targeted this mission and inflicted huge damage,” he said in his tweet posted in Urdu language.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)