Faceoff in Lahore: PM appeals for restraint, appeases PTI protesters

Nawaz calls Shahbaz a day after PTI protest, disapproves The Mall Road arrests.

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appealed for restraint on Sunday as he sought to soothe frayed tempers following the previous day’s showdown between police and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters in Lahore. He also sent out a conciliatory message to members of his rival party, offering to punish any public official who had used brute force to quell the protests.

Over 70 PTI leaders and workers, protesting against alleged rigging in the August 22 by-elections, were baton-charged and arrested by the Punjab police on Saturday. However, they were released hours later on the orders of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

On Sunday, the prime minister directed the Punjab government to investigate the arrests of the PTI workers and if the highhandedness of public officials is proved, legal action should be taken against them.

During a telephonic conversation with his brother, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the premier said, “Holding peaceful protests is the right of all Pakistanis and political parties,” adding that democracy and peaceful protests were ‘interlinked’. No authority impeded the right of citizens to protest, he said.

Directing the Punjab government to ensure no violation took place in this regard, he said all issues should be resolved through dialogue.

He said that the PML-N government has offered the choice of having a dialogue with extremist elements as well, because he believes that this is the only way towards progress and prosperity. The government will not only ensure the freedom and protection of people to exercise their democratic rights, but also remove hurdles in this regard.

Therefore, the arrests of political workers in a peaceful city such as Lahore was an unpleasant incident and the protesters should also use their democratic right, but without interrupting the daily life of people and businessmen and should not take the law in their hands.

According to News Network International (NNI), the chief minister of Punjab informed the prime minister that Section 114 was imposed on The Mall Road on the orders of the Lahore High Court, but nonetheless, he directed the police to release the protesters who had violated the law.

Upon their release, most of the protesters – demonstrating against alleged rigging particularly in the PP-150 constituency, returned to The Mall Road and blocked all traffic. PTI claims that their candidate Mehar Wajid won the PP-150 by-elections by a margin of 2,000 votes.

Other issues addressed

The prime minister also discussed the law and order and the flood situation in Punjab. He said the country needs to act as one to cope with and resolve the challenges and crises it faces.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2013.