Rashid blames govt for Pindi tragedy

ISLAMABAD: Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday turned up the heat on the administration for its alleged weak response to the clashes that erupted in Rawalpindi.

“The tragedy in Rawalpindi is a failure of the administration and a conspiracy to disturb the peace in the city,” Sheikh Rashid told the media at the National Press Club. The clashes near Fawara Chowk of Raja Bazaar left at least eight people dead and over 80 injured.

As a result, Sheikh Rashid remarked, curfew was imposed in the garrison city. “This has no parallel in the 100-year history of the city.”

Talking about the incident, he said that the involvement of a ‘third element’ to trigger clashes cannot be ruled out.

Hitting hard at the Punjab government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Sheikh Rashid said “I would like to tell the country, Shahbaz Sharif and the government that this is a total failure of the administration.”

He claimed that the Fire Brigade was not allowed to enter the area under a well thought conspiracy as he criticised the performance of the police.

“Why did the law enforcers not use tear gas and other available resources to control the situation? Why did they let the criminals snatch their weapons?” he asked.


Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2013.