PTI march: Arms should be issued to LEAs for self-defence, says Sanaullah

ISLAMABAD: Referring to the audio leak purportedly featuring Ali Amin Gandapur and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Minister Kamran Bangash’s statement about “licensed arms”, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said that he would formally request the coalition government and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif that the personnel of law informant agencies deployed for stopping “armed groups’ intend to invade Islamabad should be given arms and ammunitions for “self-defence”.

Addressing a press conference, Sanaullah, however, said that the government decided to equip the police and security personnel with only teargas shells and rubber bullets to deal with the long march.

“The group or long march aimed at attacking Islamabad should be stopped,” he added.

Berating PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Sanaullah claimed that Lahore has completely rejected the "fitna and fasad march (chaos creating march)".

He maintained that the number of participants in the long march is not greater than 6,000-10,000.

The participants of the PTI’s long march belonged to a “certain segment” of society who have become victims of his delusion, he added.

The interior minister accused Khan of spending the funds raised in the name of the poor on politics and contesting elections.

“All of you will be caught when an inquiry into Ehsaas Programme is launched,” he warned the PTI leadership.

Responding to a question, the interior minister said former PTI leader Faisal Vawda held the press conference in collusion with Khan.

Taking a jibe at Khan, the interior minister remarked: “Just 10 minutes after saying that the salary of chowkidar should be stopped, you fall at the watchman's feet.”

Khan wanted to derail the country, he added.

The interior minister clarified that the KP and Punjab police would be under the supervision of the federal government if the situation turns worse. He also condemned Imran Khan’s statement about martial law.