Khawaja Asif terms political clash a response to opposition's statements and slogans

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has described a recent political rally as a "reaction" to what he referred to as a "black day" in Pakistan's politics, which occurred two days prior.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Khawaja Asif condemned opposition statements and actions, saying they provoked an inevitable response.

He criticised slogans such as "no Imran, no Pakistan," claiming they provided justification for the recent political upheaval.

He further accused the opposition of undermining the country's federation and repeatedly turning to the military for political support, citing their history with the establishment.

Referring to a political rally held on Sunday, he called it one of the "darkest days" in Pakistan’s history, accusing participants of challenging the military.

He also singled out PTI leaders, including Ali Amin Gandapur, for their confrontational remarks.

The Defence Minister also harshly criticised PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan, accusing him of hypocrisy in his public displays of piety.

On Sunday, after a long gap, Imran Khan's beleaguered party finally managed to hold a massive rally in Islamabad amid clashes with the capital's police which left dozens of policemen and PTI workers injured.

Authorities had granted permission to the PTI to hold a public gathering in the capital on Sunday.

However, they had also turned Islamabad literally into a walled city with shipping containers blocking all the roads linking it to neighboring Rawalpindi in anticipation of the rally and over 6,000 personnel of police and the Frontier Constabulary (FC) manning the routes.

A day after PTI navigated a complex legal situation to hold its rally in the capital, the government swiftly arrested its leaders.

This action came in response to the party's breach of newly enacted laws, which were hastily introduced before the event, seen as a crucial test of the party's political strength.

The ink on the legislation regulating public gatherings was barely dry when the arrests started rolling in, with Islamabad police arresting PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, and Advocate Shoaib Shaheen outside the parliament.

Confirming the arrests, Islamabad police spokesperson Jawad Taqi said more detentions were on the horizon as PTI's Omar Ayub Khan and Zartaj Gul Wazir were also in the crosshairs.