ISLAMABAD, May 24 (APP): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday said the government was fully prepared to deal with the ‘bloody march’ of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which was hell bent on spreading violence, chaos and anarchy in the country.
“We assure the citizens that they will be protected by the government from the gang of rioters and anarchists who are planning to storm Islamabad. There will be no disturbance in the law and order,” she said while addressing a news conference.
The minister said it was the state’s responsibility to protect all the citizens, including traders, entrepreneurs, students and women which shall be fulfilled at all costs. The Federal and Punjab governments had decided that there would be no compromise on the writ of state.
She cited intelligence reports suggesting that people armed with weapons, ammunition and batons would be part of the PTI’s long march, who could not be allowed for ‘bloodshed’ in the Capital.
The martyrdom of a police constable in Lahore was a clear proof of the PTI leadership’s intent of creating chaos and anarchy in the country, she said. If they did not have any such purpose, they would have launched their long march from Islamabad instead of Peshawar.
Launching of the long march from Peshawar was meant to utilize the resources of Khyber Pakhrunkhwa government, including the police, for their devilish plan, she added. The PTI was in fact planning to bring Islamabad and KP police face-to-face, which would be quite dangerous, the minister observed.
Marriyum said Imran Khan did not condemn the killing of policeman by his party member, and which was not even expected from a ‘fascist and autocratic person’ like him.
She strongly condemned the murder of policemen and paid tribute to the law enforcement agencies personnel who were performing their duties to protect the life and property of citizens.
The minister said the “gang of rioters and anarchists” was repeating their drama of 2014 and once again planning to tell “blatant lies” atop the container. Imran Khan could not hold a peaceful protest, as violence and civil disobedience marred his sit-in with digging of graves at D-Chowk Islamabad contrary to his assurances otherwise, she added.
She recalled that it was Imran Khan, who had made a claim of holding a peaceful protest at the time when Chinese President Xi Jinping was scheduled to visit Pakistan for announcing mega projects which would have created massive job opportunities in the country.
However, the nation witnessed as to how Imran had brought “goons” to Islamabad who remained there for 126 days and attacked the state institutions, including the PTV with their dirty clothes hanging on railings at the Constitution Avenue, Marriyum added.
She said it was the same group of “gangsters”, who had incited civil disobedience, attacked policemen and inflicted head injuries to them, and brought the entire Capital to the grinding halt.
Ironically, the same “group of fascists” ruled the country for the four years and destroyed its economy, snatched away jobs and livelihoods from 6 million youth, and left the dollar at Rs 189, she regretted.
“What for this person is coming to Islamabad? Is he holding the sit-in for depriving the people of sugar, wheat, flour, medicines and gas, or further burdening the country with Rs 45,000 billion fresh debt, or bringing the inflation to 16 percent.”
His so-called protest seemed to be not for election, as he himself would have dissolved the National Assembly before April 11, she remarked. He instead violated the Constitution through his cohorts, including the then Deputy Speaker, she added.
Whether he (Imran) was holding the sit-in over the restoration of the National Assembly by the apex court, she questioned
The minister said it was high time for the nation to decide whether it wanted to stand by a person who destroyed the economy, snatched away jobs from the youth and deprived their parents of medicines, patronized cartels and mafias, and was bent on spreading anarchy or support the government which strove to steer the country out of crises by reversing the damage caused by the incompetent and corrupt PTI leadership.
There must be an end to his (Imran) drama, she said, urging the media to reveal the real face of the the PTI leadership before the nation so that they could know as to how the people were being misled with lies. “It does not come under the purview of freedom of expression,” she noted and said any march which was bloody and meant to create anarchy and posed threat to the life and property was not be allowed under any constitution and democracy.
“And when it is said to them: Do not make mischief on the earth, they say: “We are only peacemakers.” 12. Verily, they are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive not,” she cited verses of Surah Baqarah while appealing to the nation not to support the PTI which had nothing to do with their welfare and betterment of the country.
Marriyum said the nation needed to be united against the PTI which was conspiring against the country and did nothing except corruption while being into the power.
She said Imran’s announcement of the long march on May 25 was a direct effort to sabotage Pakistan’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Marriyum said Imran had no authority to dictate the dates of the next general election as it was the sole prerogative of the government and its allied parties.
“He cannot bully the government to announce the general election at a time of his choice with his threats,” the minister stressed, adding if Imran was so fond of elections he should have announced them while he was desperately clinging onto power.
To a query, she accused the PTI of misusing the social media for spreading fake news.
The minister said it was important to note that Imran announced the long march as he feared Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s proven abilities that could take on the disaster created by four years of PTI mess and get Pakistan back on the road to progress and development.
