Article 245 invoked 11 times in last 7 years: Nisar

Interior minister responds to criticism against govt's decision to call in army for security in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD: Lashing out at political parties criticising the government’s decision to implement Article 245 in Islamabad, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Sunday said the constitutional clause had been invoked 11 times in the past seven years.

Nisar was addressing a press conference in Islamabad, where without naming Pakistan Peoples Party, he said the party had called army for assistance on numerous occasions during its tenure.

“The army has been called in for election duty, counterterrorism and security,” Nisar said, adding that the Sindh government has invoked Article 245 multiple times for Muharram security.

Clearly upset with the political uproar, the interior minister stressed that this was not an unusual measure.

“Article 245 is a clause of the constitution; it is not a foreign law being imposed in the country,” he said.

Nisar went on to list democratic countries in the world where armies play a significant role to ensure security.

Explaining what the implementation of Article 245 means for the public, the interior minister said no city would be placed under the army’s control and the military would only assist civil administration to ensure safety of the people and strategic installments.

“It has nothing to do with any rally or political event,” he said referring to PTI's march towards Islamabad on August 14, adding that those calling this a political move are only maligning the army.