ISLAMABAD: The ruling coalition Monday authorised the government to take strict action against elements spreading chaos in the country, while strongly condemning violence against law enforcement agencies’ (LEAs’) personnel and causing damages to public and private properties in the last few days, allegedly by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers.
The meeting of the ruling coalition, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, lasted for almost six hours to deliberate upon the prevailing political situation, the violence against law enforcement agencies personnel both in Lahore and Islamabad allegedly by the PTI workers, also decided to call a joint sitting of the parliament on March 22 for taking important decisions aimed at establishing of the writ of the state. According to a statement issued following the meeting, the participants exchanged views on the overall economic, political, internal and external situation, and law and order situation of the country.
The meeting was apprised of the prime minister’s measures for the economy, restoration of the IMF programme, public relief, including the “Kissan package,” free supply of flour to poor families in Ramadan, Rs50 in petrol price subsidy for people with low wages and income. “The meeting appreciated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s measures to restore the economy and the IMF programme and providing maximum relief to the people despite the difficult situation and expressed full confidence in him,” according to the statement.
The meeting strongly condemned “the attacks and violence on the directions of Imran Khan on the police, and Rangers who were implementing the court orders and declared that attacks with petrol bombs, sticks, guns, arms, and the links with banned organisations are unacceptable.”
“Attacks on officers and employees of state institutions by violent and trained groups and persons belonging to banned organisations is very alarming. This behaviour is not at all constitutional, legal, democratic, or political. Taking up arms against the State, targeting its officers and personnel, firing at them, burning vehicles, besieging and ransacking court premises, looting, throwing police vehicles into canals, killing policemen on legal duty and the torture on them is the height of lawlessness which no State can tolerate,” it warned.
The meeting expressed solidarity with the officers and personnel of the state institutions and appreciated their sense of duty and declared that strict action should be taken against the law-breaking elements under the law without no exception. “This is State hostility which cannot be tolerated,” it added.
“The meeting declared that the entire nation has witnessed that PTI is not a political party but a group of trained militants of banned organizations for which there are all evidences and proofs, so it was decided to take action in this regard according to the law,” said the statement issued by the ruling allied parties.
The meeting decided to convene a joint session of Parliament on Wednesday, [March 22], in which important decisions will be taken “to ensure the writ of the State”.
The meeting strongly condemned the campaign launched on social media and abroad against the State institutions, especially the Army Chief Gen Asim Munir.
The meeting declared that overseas Pakistanis should not be part of this “nefarious agenda”. “The elements who are running a dirty campaign against the martyrs of Lasbela are sitting abroad and running this nefarious campaign through social media and protests in different parts of the world. The meeting decided to take strict action against all these elements and declared that this behaviour is not acceptable in any society,” said the statement, adding that “this is not freedom of speech.”
“The meeting declared that the treatment of Imran Khan and his associates by the justice system is deepening the impression that ‘the scales are not equal’, which is not a good omen for the constitution, law and principles of justice in the country. Two different standards of justice are not acceptable in one country,” it further maintained.
The meeting also decided to take strict action in accordance with the law against attacks on the Judicial Complex in Islamabad, injuries to police officers and personnel, vandalism of property, violence and arson. “The meeting condemned the audio leak of former chief justice Saqib Nisar and PTI lawyer Khawaja Tariq Rahim’s derogatory talk about Maryam Nawaz, and stated that all sections of the society, especially women, should strongly condemn this negative thinking and intolerance,” it added.
The meeting was attended by leaders of parties in the government, including PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPP’s Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman and Qamar Zaman Kaira, MQM-P leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, PML-N senior vice president Maryam Nawaz, leaders of the parties from Balochistan in the ruling alliance and senior federal ministers.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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