All attackers, instigators to be punished: Tarar

LAHORE: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Interior Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that all the attackers and instigators including women involved in the May-9 mayhem would get punishment, and cases registered against them would be taken to a logical conclusion.

Addressing a press conference at Model Town, he said that May 9 would be remembered as ‘black day’ as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) miscreants targeted and attacked national installations and burnt martyrs’ monuments, which even the country’s enemies could not dare to do.

The SAPM said that those attacks were planned and instigated by the party top leadership for protection of party Chairman Imran Khan in 190-million-pound corruption case, adding that the PTI chief was involved in corruption of Rs 60 billion and plundering of the national exchequer. He said the money transferred by the UK National Crime Agency under an agreement was supposed to be deposited in the government accounts, but the PTI chief plundered it.

Atta Tarar said that the PTI chief tried to instigate his party workers after committing corruption. He said PTI leader Shahzad Akbbar should come back to the country and answer about the corruption charges leveled against him in various cases. He also condemned burning of memorials of national heroes, including Capt Karnal Sher Khan, on May 9.

He said that he, on behalf of the nation, expressed sympathies with the families of martyrs and national heroes, as the violent PTI miscreants had hurt their feelings and sacrifices by burning martyrs’ memorials.

Tarar said that now the PTI activists were indulging in propaganda on the social media that it was an injustice that woman activists of the party had been jailed and terrorism charges had been leveled against them. He clarified that the arrested PTI woman activists were directly involved in throwing stones at policemen, leading violent people towards Jinnah House [corps commander’s house] and instigating people for an attack on the defence installations. That was why they were not innocent and they would have to face legal proceedings.

The SAPM said that neither any innocent would be in jail nor any miscreant involved in attack would be spared, adding that the culprits would have to face the consequences of targeting the national institutions.

These were the culprits who, acting on the agenda of enemies, targeted the defence institutions, he said and added, “We will not rest until the arrest of all accused involved in the May 9 incidents”.

To a question, Tarar said that cases of such accused would be heard in the anti-terrorism courts, adding that action would also be taken against those involved in the baseless propaganda about May 9 incidents on the social media.

To another query, the SAPM said that a joint investigation team had been formed to investigate the May-9 mayhem, while the court had also ordered the PTI chief to cooperate in investigation process. He asserted that the PTI chief would have to be answerable for instigating people to attack the national installations.

Atta Tarar said that the law-enforcement agencies’ personnel deployed at Jinnah House on May 9 had shown restraint and tried to stop the miscreants.

Responding to a query, the SAPM said that there would be no dialogue with the PTI terrorists or those who attacked the national institutions, adding that no NRO [deal] would be given to them and negotiations would only be held after completion of the accountability of the miscreants, he added.