Govt, PTI on warpath after 'once & for all' threat

ISLAMABAD:

A blistering war of words between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi over the former's "once-and-for-all solution" and the latter's explosive counter-attack has brought the country to the brink of a major political showdown on September 27.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced a long march on Islamabad for Sunday, while the government has vowed to deal with the marchers with an "iron hand", as authorities have launched a crackdown, allegedly arresting several PTI lawmakers and workers.

Though PTI leaders and the heads of allied parties insist that dialogue with the government through elected representatives could help resolve their differences, they have categorically refused to call off their planned march.

Naqvi, the country's top security czar, addressed a press conference in Lahore on Monday amid a crackdown against the opposition party, warning that protesters would be "taken care of" this time if they entered Islamabad.

"As I am telling you, this time we will find a once-and-for-all solution," Naqvi told reporters while responding to a question about whether the government planned to ban the PTI. "We cannot afford this every time."

The interior minister did not even rule out the option of imposing governor's rule in PTI-led K-P. "The government had already made it clear to them that the prime minister, in consultation with our law ministry, would utilise whatever legal options were available," he said, in response to another question.

K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took exception to Naqvi's remarks. "Do not tell us, the terrorists that you people have resettled in Pakistan, deal with them once for all," a visibly angry Afridi told the provincial assembly session.

"Deal with them once for all with those who say we do not face a threat from India. They have changed the state's narrative. Deal with that once for all. Those who carried out Dawn Leaks against Pakistan, deal with them once for all," he added.

He warned that the people of Pakistan would deal with them. "Dealing with them once for all will be done by the people of Pakistan themselves, Inshallah, because you people have to win every single time, whereas the Pakistani people only have to win once, and that will be once for all."

Later, talking to the media after a parliamentary party meeting in Peshawar, the chief minister made it clear that the party would not withdraw from its constitutional and democratic right. "The September 27 announcement will not be withdrawn," Afridi stated.

Afridi insisted that the proposed march would be a sustained political movement rather than a brief protest, adding that a detailed plan would be announced on September 25. "The long march is not a T20; it will be a Test match," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that the party was democratic and peaceful and wanted political issues resolved through constitutional means. He emphasised that the party was not seeking any confrontation.

"We are still in contact. We are peaceful and will remain peaceful," Gohar said, adding that the PTI was not seeking confrontation with the state. He said the party wanted Imran Khan to receive medical treatment, have his cases heard and be allowed to meet his family and lawyers.

Gohar's offer for dialogue was echoed by Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, who urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to constitute negotiating teams so that both sides could understand each other's positions and take talks forward.

"We are ready for negotiations," Abbas said, adding that the opposition had kept the door open for talks whenever the government was ready, but maintained that negotiations should involve political representatives rather than individuals.

He criticised the government for obstructing the path to dialogue. He said his recent discussions with Naqvi had failed after the minister insisted that the September 27 protest call be withdrawn. The opposition, he added, had conveyed that only PTI founder Imran Khan could withdraw the call.

Gohar rejected suggestions that the planned march represented an attempt to "conquer" Islamabad. He alleged that five PTI MNAs and a Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa minister had been arrested, describing the situation as unacceptable for a party governing the province.

"Our 1,500 workers have been arrested, and lists have been made for the rest. Five MNAs, a senator, our MPAs, including one from Islamabad, and ministers from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are currently under arrest," he said.

K-P Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati told the house that a provincial minister, Shakeel Khan, had been "targeted", while another, Fazal Shakoor, had been "abducted". "These incidents create the impression that there is martial law in the province," Swati remarked.

Reports from Islamabad suggested that Senators Saifullah Niazi, Sanaullah Mastikhel, Jamal Ahsan Khan, Dawar Khan and Mian Muhammad Ghaus had been arrested from Islamabad's Red Zone. According to sources, former MNA Aurangzeb Khan and 33 PTI workers were also detained in Rawalpindi.

Police said the PTI parliamentarians had been detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). The police action was condemned by the PTI and the opposition alliance, Tehreek Tahaffuz Aain-e-Pakistan (TTAP), as "political victimisation".

Security, meanwhile, was tightened across Islamabad, Punjab and K-P ahead of the march. The federal capital administration sealed the Red Zone, D-Chowk and major entry points with containers, while barriers were erected on routes linking Punjab and K-P.

In Islamabad, police, Rangers and Frontier Corps personnel were deployed in large numbers, while Metrobus services between Rawalpindi and Islamabad were suspended. A high alert was also declared at PIMS and Polyclinic, with medical staff placed on round-the-clock duty.

Islamabad's educational institutions will remain closed from Tuesday amid heightened security measures. In Peshawar, roads leading to the Chief Minister's Secretariat and Governor House were blocked, while security arrangements were intensified in Rawalpindi's Red Zone.

Naqvi said in Lahore that if the PTI "besieged" the federal capital, it would harm itself. "Protest will not be beneficial for anyone and will only cause harm to the country's economy," he said. "If the PTI chooses that course, we will implement the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order," he said.

The IHC on September 1 virtually put brakes on the PTI's capital march as it barred political parties, political leaders, provincial governments and public office holders from occupying public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas, buildings or other public places within or leading to the capital.

When asked if the federal government had any "long-term solution" to PTI's frequent protest calls, he said, "This time we will find a permanent solution; we will not leave it halfway." He added that no one would be allowed to suspend life in the country for a prolonged period.

He said that if the PTI wanted a medical check-up for Imran Khan, this had already happened. He claimed that the party itself did not know what it wanted to achieve. Referring to remarks by PTI's Junaid Akram that the PTI would turn Islamabad into "Somnath", Naqvi said the threats were hollow.

(With additional input from Our Peshawar correspondent Shahid Hameed)