Another day of police-PTI workers clashes: Mohsin Naqvi parries question about KP CM’s whereabouts

ISLAMABAD: Federal ministers, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, claimed on Saturday the real motive of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and leaders behind staging the protest was to sabotage the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, due to open on October 15. 

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the attack on Islamabad, led by Ali Amin Gandapur, was carried out by a well-trained armed group, whose aim was to reach the D-Chowk and stage a sit-in there till the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Addressing a press conference along with IGP Punjab Dr Usman and IGP Islamabad, he said action would be taken against all elements involved in the attack on the federal capital. He said armed men, led by KP CM Gandapur, stormed Islamabad and strict legal action would be taken against the attackers and planners.

Naqvi said the Islamabad police had arrested 564 people, and 120 Afghan citizens were also included. He said 11 KP policemen were also arrested from D-Chowk. These policemen were in plainclothes and teargas shells, masks and rubber bullets were recovered from them.

He claimed that firing was carried out on the Punjab Police on Saturday morning, but the personnel observed restraint. There were trained militants among the protestors, and the police officers braved severe stone-pelting, he added. Naqvi said protesters used long-range teargas shells and 31 officials of Islamabad police and 75 of the Punjab police were injured due to stone-pelting. One of them was in a critical condition, he added.

Naqvi said strict action would be taken against the planners of the attack. “We will search and clear the entire area. People of Islamabad have been suffering for two days. I apologise. We are trying to normalise things as soon as possible.”

The interior minister, however, refrained from confirming or denying the arrest of KP CM Gandapur at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa House.

Earlier in the day, Mohsin Naqvi said the KP CM should not force the government to take extreme measures. Addressing the media, he said the KP chief minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers were already crossing the lines, and if they crossed any further, then extreme measures might be taken. “Apparently, he’s not ready to back off from his ambitions [of storming the federal capital],” he said, in his remarks in the wake of the PTI protest.

“Evidence has also surfaced that people were asked in the chats and groups to carry weapons with them,” he said, pointing out that people of Bannu and other tribal areas were particularly asked to bring arms with them. The interior minister said the government would not let them sabotage the SCO summit, come what may.

Separately, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur would be facing a very tough situation in the coming days.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, he said today the whole world was appreciating the economic policies of Pakistan. He said no one would be allowed to sabotage the SCO, no one will be allowed to go near the Red Zone and no one would be allowed to sabotage the public peace.

Tarar said due to the PTI sit-in, the visit of Chinese president was delayed in the past. And now the same party was bent upon sabotaging the SCO summit. He said development of the country was not acceptable for these elements. They were worried what would happen to their statements if the country started making development. He said there were Rangers in Islamabad and the army had also arrived; the purpose of their sit-in was to carry out another May 9.

Meanwhile, intense clashes broke out between the police and PTI activists on Saturday when convoys of protesters, led by Ali Amin Gandapur, attempted to reach the D-Chowk. Demonstrations flared up at various points across the capital, including China Chowk, Jinnah Avenue, Blue Area, Faizabad, and E-11, 26 Number Chungi as PTI workers faced roadblocks and heavy security measures designed to halt their progress.

The situation quickly escalated into violence, with the PTI supporters throwing stones at police, while law-enforcers responding with rubber bullets and teargas. Multiple arrests were made as security forces struggled to control the crowds.

Tension flare up at the Jinnah Avenue near the China Chowk, when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters, who nevertheless advanced towards the D-Chowk. Reports from the police indicated that some PTI supporters employed slingshots to hurl stones at officers. As demonstrators approached the China Chowk, they were met with a heavy barrage of tear gas, temporarily forcing them back. In the chaos, protesters set fire to trees and destroyed fences, further escalating the situation.

With the situation growing increasingly volatile, Rangers were called in to secure D-Chowk, where they successfully managed to disperse the protesters after a prolonged standoff.

In a separate incident, PTI workers, led by Gandapur, faced intense tear gas shelling by Punjab police near Thatta Khalil in Taxila. Protesters retaliated by throwing stones and returning tear gas canisters at the police. Despite the heavy resistance, the protesters broke through barriers and proceeded toward Islamabad.

Around Chungi No26, demonstrators set a crane and a motorcycle on fire. By 4:15pm, Gandapur and his convoy entered Islamabad through E-11, passing through Sangjani. The convoy later reached the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, where a heavy contingent of Islamabad police and Rangers arrived and cordoned off the KP House. The security forces entered the building, and rumours spread that Ali Amin Gandapur had been taken into custody. The PTI claimed that Gandapur was arrested from the house; however, Islamabad police denied these reports, sparking confusion.

Conflicting reports of Gandapur’s detention kept making rounds in the media, whereas central party leader and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan claimed Gandapur had been arrested.

“CM Ali Amin Khan Gandapur arrested illegally from KP House Islamabad. Rangers and Islamabad Police have breached the territory of KP and have executed an illegal arrest,” he said in a message on his social media account. He also wrote, “CM Ali Amin Khan has been granted bail by the Peshawar High Court. He is part of the ‘state’ as defined in the Constitution. Rangers, Police and armed forces are tools of the ‘state’. Has martial law been imposed in Pakistan? This action will be the death knell for this Form 47 government,” he claimed.

However, his detention was not confirmed by the official sources.

Earlier, KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur said on Saturday they had reached Islamabad and recorded their protest, and they would now seek guideline from the party founder on future strategy. In a brief chat with the media before leaving for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa House, he said heavy firing was started on them on their way to Islamabad while “they accuse us that we are not a peaceful party; we have proved that we are a peaceful party”.

However, he said: “Our authority lies with the party founder [Imran Khan].”

Barrister Saif, meanwhile, said Mohsin Naqvi was levelling baseless allegations of participation by Afghan nationals in the PTI protest. “No idea, so far about his whereabouts and what will the leadership decide about those who have braved tough time to reach here,” was the terse reply of a senior PTI leader, when asked on telephone about Gandapur’s fate and strategy regarding the party workers present in the federal capital.

In Rawalpindi, the police remained on high alert throughout the day. Around 8pm, some roadblocks were temporarily lifted, but shortly after, orders were issued to re-block the roads, and police once again sealed off the routes.

Meanwhile, PTI founder chairman Imran Khan praised his party activists for staging a powerful protest. “I am so proud of all our people,” said a message from Imran Khan posted on social media site X on Saturday afternoon. “You showed unfaltering resilience and courage as you came out yesterday and overcame unbelievable obstacles,” he added.

The Amnesty International said the communication cuts and road blockades “infringe on people’s right to freedom of expression, access to information, peaceful assembly and movement”. “These restrictions are part of a worrying clampdown on the right to protest in Pakistan,” the rights group said.

Separately, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) demanded the government must show restraint and refrain from its continued disproportionate response to the PTI protesters in and around Islamabad and Punjab. The suspension of mobile-phone and data services, road blockades and connectivity slowdowns over the last two days had caused inconvenience and distress, particularly for people whose access to health services and livelihoods depended on their freedom of movement. “We strongly urge the government to hold a dialogue in good faith with the political opposition and resolve their differences peacefully and by consensus. For their part, the PTI must be open to political negotiations if the political temperature is to be dialed down for the good of all citizens,” a statement said.

Meanwhile, over 1,000 Sindh Police personnel, sent by Sindh government to Islamabad to help the forces maintain peace, reached Rawalpindi late Saturday when the protest had practically ended in twin cities. A special train comprising 16 coaches full of police personnel reached Rawalpindi late in the evening. The special train left Karachi Cantt Station for Rawalpindi at 1:45 pm on Friday. Police personnel from Police Training Centre, Saeedabad, and other police centres of Sindh were sent to Islamabad. Police personnel from Khairpur and Sukkur were also made to board the special train.

Like in Islamabad, a large number of PTI workers took to the streets in Lahore on Saturday and staged a protest against the detention of party founder Imran Khan. At least 50 activists and two leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were arrested during the daylong violent protests in the provincial metropolis.

The opposition leader in Punjab Assembly, Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar, and PTI leader Musarrat Jamshed Cheema were among those arrested on Saturday. Bhachar was arrested near the railway station, while the woman leader was arrested at the Pakistan Azadi Chowk flyover. The police detained three women, including Musarrat Jamshed Cheema. In addition, five activists were detained from the same place for shouting slogans.

Heavy teargas shelling was seen throughout the day. The police fired teargas shells to disperse the PTI workers, who were not allowed to reach Minar-e-Pakistan. The PTI supporters, including the majority of youth, were seen clashing with the police and chanting slogans in support of Imran Khan. However, in the wee hours of Sunday, all entry-exit points of the city were opened for traffic, the CTO said.