It’s time to take tough decisions: PM

ISLAMABAD/ MANSEHRA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday stressed the need for taking tough decisions to rid the country of politics of agitation and ensure stability.

Addressing the federal cabinet meeting, he said: “We have to decide whether we save Pakistan or allow sit-ins to take place.” The premier said that no one ever imagined launching an “onslaught” on Islamabad before, stressing that tough decisions will have to be taken now through mutual consultation. “We have two paths which we can take, and it is obvious that we have to take the path of development and prosperity,” he said.

The prime minister said that once again an assault was mounted on Islamabad, but on the previous (Tuesday) night, all the law enforcement agencies had collectively and with good strategy dispersed the protest and provided relief to the public. He also particularly mentioned that the army chief also extended cooperation over the law and order situation in the federal capital, while the intelligence agencies also played their part. The prime minister also appreciated the Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh police forces and other law enforcement agencies for quelling the latest onslaught on Islamabad.

Speaking about the economic losses faced due to violent protests, the prime minister said businesses were shut as life in the twin cities — Islamabad and Rawalpindi — came to a halt. He said that as a result of such rioting, Islamabad in particular and the country in general, witnessed huge economic losses. “Businesses were closed, traders were raising hue and cry, owners of factories were in distress, daily wagers found it hard to get a one-time meal while patients were stranded.”

“Our stock exchange, which had crossed 99,000, plunged by over 4,000 points on Tuesday due to the riots,” he regretted. “The economy is facing a loss of Rs190 billion daily due to the protests.”

Recalling PTI’s 2014 sit-in in the capital, Shehbaz said the rioters caused violence for 126 days at a time when the Chinese president had to visit the country. However, he added, the high-level visit was cancelled due to the PTI’s sit-in. He further highlighted that the rioters had once again tried to create chaos ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the capital. “There was a wave of concern among our guests whether to visit Pakistan or not,” he said.

Shedding light on the Belarusian president’s visit to Pakistan, the prime minister said the two countries will sign agreements in January. He said had the courts given strict punishment to the criminals of May 9, we would not have seen this day. “We have to decide after much deliberation which direction we need to take,” he added.

Shehbaz said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was suffering from a resurgence of terrorism, adding that dozens of people were martyred in the Kurram clashes. “They [KP government] should have [resolved] the Parachinar and Kurram matters but they attacked Islamabad using government resources,” he added. The prime minister further said that this was not a movement but “sedition” and there was no room for sedition in politics. “This is a conspiracy and it must be brought to an end at all costs,” he added. “It is not a movement but terrorism and a Fitna. We’ll break the hand that wants to damage Pakistan,” PM Shehbaz stressed. He maintained the prime minister, members of the cabinet and parliamentarians would not let anarchy inflict further harm on the country’s economy.

Earlier, during his interaction with journalists in the federal capital, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi termed social media reports claiming 33 bodies were brought to a hospital as “propaganda” and challenged the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to name the deceased. The minister said PTI’s miscreants were looking for bodies in hospitals. He asked the PTI to prove if any policeman had a gun during the protests. The minister said that they would present a report on the PTI’s protest in the cabinet meeting and to the prime minister. Naqvi also asserted that life has returned to normal across Pakistan with roads cleared and mobile and internet services restored.

Naqvi also announced that Afghan citizens would not be allowed to reside in Islamabad without a No Objection Certificate (NoC) after December 31, adding that those intending to stay must obtain clearance from the DC office.

Meanwhile, talking to the media, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said the PTI narrative had failed and its leaders had to run to avoid arrest. The minister strongly rejected the PTI’s claims of killing their activists in firing by law enforcement agencies and termed it a baseless propaganda. He continued they concocted a fake story of workers deaths after the workers had martyred Rangers personnel in a hit-and-run incident and also martyred police personnel. He pointed out that the KP CM was accompanied by the provincial police personnel in plainclothes who were armed with modern weapons, including guns and teargas shells.

Tarar explained that the rioters were using slingshots and sharp stones to harm the police and law enforcement agencies’ personnel. He noted since Tuesday morning, the PTI had started propaganda about the killing of party workers. He said the management of Polyclinic Hospital had issued a statement denying claims of any bodies being shifted there. He added that the PTI was the only political party that always made bogus claims of killing its workers.

The minister said that on Tuesday night, he visited the area from D-Chowk to 7th Avenue but saw nothing which could prove PTI’s claims of firing on its workers. He remarked that the PTI leadership had run away from the scene to escape arrest and now they were creating a narrative of killings of protesters. He emphasized that if the PTI had proof of killings of their workers, they should present postmortem reports and other related evidence. He added that 37 Afghan nationals and dozens of criminals involved in terrorism, theft and robberies were arrested from the PTI protest scene.

He questioned what justification would the PTI give for the use of weapons and firing of tear gas shells and slingshots by an unruly mob. He said that 45 guns and grenades were recovered from the miscreants belonging to the PTI. He contended that it was a preplanned sabotage of peace and damage to national economy to force the cancellation of Belarusian president’s visit.

Tarar said the PTI leadership was so inefficient and weak that they could not arrange a sit-in without the backing of the establishment. He remarked that the 126-day sit-in of 2014 was also staged with the backing of certain elements in the establishment. He came hard on Bushra Bibi and charged that she wanted bodies to get political advantage, while Ali Amin Gandapur escaped to avoid arrest. He insisted that political movements cannot be run like this and PTI’s political ideology has flopped now.

The minister said the PTI had the habit of concocting stories and it claimed that Rangers were killed by law enforcement agencies, but CCTV footage proved them wrong and now the culprits have been arrested from Abbottabad. He noted that many senior PTI leaders, including Asad Qaiser, Salman Akram Raja, Atif Khan, Shehram Tarakai, Hammad Azhar and Waqas Akram stayed away from the entire protest.

Tarar said the PTI suffered a major political setback, as its leaders fled from the federal capital. “If Ali Amin Gandapur is ashamed, then he will not wear a turban from today. Bushra Bibi and Amin Gandapur fled,” he remarked. He noted that while Qasim, Salman and Tyrian are growing up in Goldsmith’s house and all five children of Bushra Bibi are living a life of luxury, the PTI leadership uses children of the poor as shields.

Referring to the sudden escape of the party leadership and workers from D-Chowk and Blue Area, he contended that protesters fled leaving behind their shoes, clothes and vehicles. “Running has become their habit. When fear grips a thief, he runs away,” he charged.

He said that the PTI set its container on fire. “We did not want bloodshed. The interior minister was constantly monitoring the situation. The PTI people wanted to target important government figures and that they planned to capture the Parliament building.”

Separately, in a press conference, Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry refuted PTI’s allegations of widespread killings at D-Chowk, stressing that the operation was unarmed and intended to prevent casualties. Daniyal accused the PTI of attempting to incite deaths to disrupt the visits of foreign dignitaries. “PTI is spreading misleading propaganda regarding the deaths of its workers,” he said.

He stated that a total of 900 hardened criminals were arrested, including proclaimed offenders, wanted criminals, and 37 Afghan nationals carrying weapons provided by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. Most of the protesters were brought to Islamabad with a payment of Rs5,000 per day. They engaged in street firing with the weapons, destroyed nearly 100 CCTV cameras, and set fire to 12 or 13 police vehicles, turning it into another May 9.

Meanwhile, in a joint press conference at the Press Information Department, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Mohammad Ali Randhawa and Inspector General of Police Ali Nasir Rizvi said that it was not a protest but terrorism that resulted in heavy damage of lives of law enforcers with the destruction of public and private properties to the tune of billions of rupees. They said that no one would be allowed to use protests as a cover for terrorism. They revealed that Afghan nationals were among the participants of the PTI protests and announced plans to enforce a policy requiring foreign residents to obtain security clearance to remain in Islamabad.

The IGP said that 900 protesters were arrested and 200 vehicles seized during the PTI protest in the capital. He emphasised that while everyone has the right to protest, acts of terrorism under the guise of protests will not be tolerated. IGP Rizvi said that law enforcement agencies faced direct gunfire during the protests. “Damaging property and engaging in terrorism is not protest and such individuals should be termed terrorists,” he stated.

The officials emphasized their responsibility to uphold the rule of law, stating, “Ensuring the writ of the state is our responsibility, and no one will be allowed to challenge it.” They noted that all entry and exit routes in the federal capital have been reopened, and normal activities have resumed.

The IGP mentioned that armed individuals attacked police and Rangers, highlighting the distinction between peaceful protests and acts of terrorism. “We will not tolerate terrorist activities disguised as protests,” he added. The IGP mentioned that in a joint operation that led to the arrest of 954 individuals and the seizure of 210 vehicles, protesters were found with heavy weapons, and sensitive automatic weapons, including Kalashnikovs and other SMGs. The law enforcers recovered 39 weapons, including 12 bore guns and other firearms which the law enforcers used. “This is not a protest when participants bring weapons, attack police, damage public property and force citizens to remain confined to their homes. Such acts constitute terrorism and it is our right to act against it,” Rizvi said.

Five Rangers officials and one cop of the Punjab Police were martyred, and 71 security personnel were injured, including 27 wounded by gunshots. The police have registered seven cases under the anti-terrorism laws, he added. The protesters used firearms, masks and heavy equipment, including industrial fans, to direct tear gas back at law enforcement personnel, he said.

Additionally, the demonstrators destroyed CCTV cameras, and video footage identified over 3,000 vehicles used to transport weapons and other supplies. The chief commissioner, telling details of the destruction, said protesters damaged green belts, Metro bus stations and Safe City cameras. He explained that fuel stations were temporarily closed due to intelligence reports of potential arson. Protesters also attacked journalists, prompting the removal of media personnel from protest sites. Randhawa stated that the court had allowed protests in the Sangjani area, but demonstrators insisted on moving toward sensitive zones, including the Blue Area and Red Zone. The protests damaged Islamabad’s green belts and overall infrastructure. He stated that the protests violated agreed-upon terms, as participants attempted to infiltrate sensitive areas like the Blue Area and the Red Zone. Both officials reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance policy toward individuals or groups disrupting peace in Islamabad, particularly foreign nationals involved in unlawful activities. Search operations in the area are ongoing, they added.

Meanwhile, the administrations of Federal Government Polyclinic (FGPC) and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) have jointly refuted social media claims regarding alleged deaths and severe injuries from the PTI protests in Islamabad on November 24 and subsequent days. Both hospitals labelled the news as baseless and clarified the nature of injuries treated during the clashes between protesters and law enforcement personnel.

According to a statement from the FGPC, reports about bodies brought to their hospital due to gunshot wounds, grenade injuries or other fatal incidents were ‘entirely false’. The administration urged the public to disregard such unverified information circulating on social media.

Similarly, PIMS confirmed that during the protests, they treated a total of 66 law enforcement personnel and 36 civilians for injuries sustained in the clashes. Most of the individuals received first aid for minor injuries and were discharged. A few patients required further medical attention and were admitted. The administration strongly denied rumours of any deaths linked to the protest, terming such claims as fabricated. Both hospitals emphasised the importance of relying on verified information and condemned the spread of misinformation that could create unnecessary panic or distrust. They assured the public of their commitment to providing accurate updates on any developments concerning patient care and emergencies.

Meanwhile, in a declaration issued here, the PTI Political Committee condemned in the strongest terms what it alleged was the government’s action of barbaric shooting of millions of peaceful Pakistanis. The committee claimed the protestors included children, youth, elderly and women, who came to Islamabad for a peaceful protest, who were targeted. The forum demanded a high-level judicial investigation to determine the government’s role in the ‘criminal massacre’ of unarmed citizens who came to Islamabad for peaceful protest.

It demanded preparing a future action plan in the light of instructions of founding chairman Imran Khan will be announced soon. The meeting also called for strong action against PM Shehbaz and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for ‘killing’ peaceful and patriotic Pakistanis and injuring hundreds with live bullets.

It strongly condemned the shelling and firing on the vehicle of former first lady Bushra Bibi and KP Chief Minister Gandapur, the attempt to kidnap them and endanger their lives. “The firing and attack on the KP CM, who was in Islamabad for a peaceful protest along with the people of his province by Shehbaz Sharif and Mohsin Naqvi, is strongly condemned, which is the attack on the Federation of Pakistan,” it claimed. The committee also condemned the burning of Bushra Bibi’s container by the government machinery, burning of private property, vehicles, etc, of citizens, and playing with fire and blood in the capital.

The meeting paid a great tribute to the people and workers for “crossing the river of difficulties and obstacles” for a peaceful protest on the final call of Imran Khan and reaching Islamabad and facing the worst shelling, brutal violence and ‘shameful government treatment’ with patience and perseverance.

Declaring the killing of workers who were allegedly martyred as a result of “brutal firing by the government under the leadership of Shehbaz Sharif and Mohsin Naqvi” a national tragedy, the committee demanded that justice be provided to the families of innocent Pakistanis martyred by the government from the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of Pakistan. It also strongly condemned the injuries of hundreds of Pakistanis and PTI workers by direct shooting and the kidnapping of injured citizens from hospitals. It offered full condolences to the families of martyrs and the injured and expressed solidarity and sympathy. The meeting also decided to take special measures for their care.

The entire nation, the meeting claimed, supported the final call of founding chairman Imran Khan for a peaceful protest for the restoration of fundamental constitutional rights, protection of the independence of judiciary, release of innocent political prisoners, and return of the 26th Constitutional Amendment. “Lakhs of Pakistanis from all parts of the country crossed a river of fire and blood to peacefully protest in favor of their legitimate legal and political demands and reached D-Chowk. The brutality and state terrorism that the Shehbaz government, deprived of public support and mandate, demonstrated to crush peaceful protests is unparalleled in the world history of civil rights movements,” it charged.

Meanwhile, at a press conference at the Insaf Secretariat in Mansehra, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur vowed to continue the sit-in in Islamabad until asked by the party founder Imran Khan to end it. “Our sit-in at D-Chowk will continue, and we will not end it until our leader Imran Khan calls it off,” he said.

Gandapur, Bushra Bibi, Opposition leader in the National Assembly Umar Ayub Khan, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and others reached Mansehra in the early hours after law-enforcement agencies launched a crackdown on protesters in the federal capital.

The chief minister, who is also the PTI KP chapter president, alleged that hundreds of PTI workers were killed or injured in direct firing by law-enforcement agencies. “We will compensate the families of those who lost their lives with Rs10 million each, and the injured will receive quality healthcare services,” he declared.

Gandapur announced to lodge a first information report (FIR) against the law-enforcement agencies and those responsible for allegedly firing at Bushra Bibi and him directly in Islamabad. “Bushra Bibi and I, the KP chief minister, were directly targeted by snipers in an assassination attempt. We both escaped unhurt luckily in the federal capital, which is supposed to symbolise national unity,” he alleged. Gandapur added: “If a chief minister narrowly escapes bullets during a peaceful protest, one can only imagine the brutalities faced by ordinary party workers and protesters.” He emphasized that PTI’s ongoing peaceful sit-in in the federal capital was for the supremacy of law and the Constitution and for securing Imran Khan’s release. “We firmly stand with our workers who have faced bullets for Imran Khan and those who have been arrested will be provided legal assistance by party lawyers for security their early release,” Gandapur said.

During the press conference, which turned into a public gathering, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Umar Ayub accused the Punjab police of entering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to arrest PTI workers. “We are going to file an FIR against the Punjab police for crossing into KP’s jurisdiction and arresting our workers,” he said. Umar Ayub demanded an impartial inquiry into the killing of members of the Rangers force. He alleged that he, like other party leaders, narrowly escaped direct fire. “We will not allow the federal government to continue killing our workers without accountability,” he added.

Earlier in the day, a meeting chaired by CM Gandapur was held at the New Circuit House to discuss the situation arising from the crackdown on the sit-in in the federal capital. The meeting, attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, Secretary Home Abid Majid, Hazara Commissioner Zaheerul Islam, and Deputy Inspector General of Police Tahir Ayub, lasted for half an hour. Gandapur, along with Bushra Bibi and other party leaders, left for Peshawar by helicopter.

Meanwhile, talking to senior anchorperson Hamid Mir in Geo News show Capital Talk, PTI Member of National Assembly Latif Khosa said, “Today I feel sad and surprised. We had claimed that we’d come to D-Chowk. Even after so many hurdles, people reached Islamabad.”

He claimed that they had killed 278 people and injured 1,900 but he failed to provide any evidence in this regard.

Khosa said it was wrong to say that the federal government was attacked by the province. “The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have the same right over the federation as in other provinces. The capital is for everyone,” Khosa said.

“Imran Khan’s wife is our sister and leader. For God’s sake, call her name with honour and respect,” he added. He asked when did Bushra Bibi took the name of Saudi Arabia, adding that she quoted General Bajwa as saying it. “Muhammed bin Salman is a close friend of Imran Khan. Bajwa was hell-bent on ruining their relationship.”

He said that in the FIR, Mohsin Naqvi, IG Islamabad and the prime minister would be named. “We will try to register an FIR in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We know no one will register our FIR in Islamabad.” FIRs would be registered on the basis of testimonies of workers, he said.

The crowd used to charge because of the few words uttered by Bushra Bibi.

Khosa claimed that Barrister Saif was flown in by a jet to meet the PTI founder. The government was ready to release the founder, our demand was immediate release. There was also a public meeting in Sangjani but we did not agree to it.

The movement does not end with violence. “We are still there [in Islamabad] and the movement is still there. We will come to Islamabad and the government will be ours. Neither the PTI can be banned not there can be the governor’s rule in the KP,” he said.

He asked the rulers to have some sense saying that if they wanted to build smaller states in Pakistan. “Do you want to separate Balochistan and KP?”