Vawda says PTI to be banned as Islamabad protest turned violent

ISLAMABAD: Following the recent violence in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) three-day protest that was put off abruptly in the wee hours of Wednesday, Senator Faisal Vawda has claimed that the former ruling party “is going to be banned”.

“Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur will not be arrested, but Bushra Bibi will be,” he said while speaking on the Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’ on Wednesday. His remarks came as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) decided to table a resolution in the Balochistan Assembly, seeking a ban on PTI after the Imran Khan-founded party put off its planned protest sit-in following clashes with security forces in Islamabad in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Speaking on the programme, Vawda castigated the PTI leadership for remaining absent during the protest, asking where was Omar Ayub Khan, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly?

“A woman said she would march on D-Chowk but later ran away,” he said, while referring to Bushra Bibi, adding that the former first lady has a “major role” in bringing the PTI to a “dead end”. He further claimed the entire PTI leadership admitted that Bushra Bibi created trouble for the party, noting that they should have agreed to shift the protest to Islamabad’s Sangjani.

The senator was referring to the government’s offer of an alternate protest venue to PTI, which Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said Imran Khan had agreed upon. However, Bushra Bibi refused and was adamant about reaching the D-Chowk.

Furthermore, Vawda said that PTI leadership have “completed preparations” to keep Imran in jail. Without naming anyone, he said that the May 9 events were carried out on a “vulture’s” orders. “Vulture is the one who benefitted from £190 million, brokered through the former prime minister,” he added.