ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday the miscreants involved in ‘November 24 violence’ would face the music, whereas, Ministry of Interior states that there was no direct confrontation between the Pakistan Army and the violent protesters during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Islamabad march.
Information Minister accused PTI leader Murad Saeed for taking refuge in CM House Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after he led unruly PTI crowds towards the D-Chowk to attack on the capital.
While statement of interior ministry named PTI’s fugitive leader Murad Saeed as the head of roughly 1500 hardcore fighters, saying the “vanguard group” while using Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s resources used militant tactics to attack the law enforcers as the PTI protestors barged into capital’s Red Zone when some high profile foreign delegations were in Islamabad.
There will be effective prosecution of those involved in violence during PTI protest: Info minister
Tarar said that PTI was spreading fake news and false propaganda to hide its failed attempt of disrupting peace in the capital city and sabotaged the economy.
He also rejected PTI’s claim that officials of Law Enforcement Agencies opened straight firing on the protesters, added that the law enforcers were there to maintain peace and order, and did not have any live ammunition.
The minister said the miscreants martyred officials of the Pakistan Rangers and the police. He further said it was violation of the Islamabad High Court’s ruing. He said this march on Islamabad inflicted a loss of Rs192 billion daily on the national economy.
The minister said the protestors opened indiscriminate firing, targeting the officials of the law enforcement agencies as a result of which law enforcers had been injured. He said it is responsibility of the government to establish and maintain writ of the state, and protect lives and properties of the citizens.
Responding to a question, he said that the government fully believes in independence of the media. He said the government, in consultation with the media organisations and relevant stakeholders, is working on introducing a law pertaining to the digital media.
On the occasion, a video, showing PTI protesters, assaulting the law enforcement agencies with guns, batons, stones and sling shots, was also played
Tatar made these remarks while addressing a presser in the capital. He was flanked by Inspector General of police Islamabad Ali Nasir Rizvi and Secretary Interior Khurram Ali Agha. He said the PTI used propaganda tools to save face after its failure to gather crowd for its protests.
He said according to secret reports, it was disclosed that the PTI would resort to violence in the disguise of protest. “Has anyone even seen weapons in the hands of peaceful protest anywhere in the world,” he questioned. In those protests, 37 Afghan nationals were also part of the PTI.
Tarar also said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had also rejected the PTI’s so-called call for ‘freedom’ because they did not believe in the politics of chaos.
However, a statement released by Interior Ministry said that PTI’s recent violent protests caused Rs192 billion indirect losses per day to the economy and the PTI and its social media propagandists are bent upon to create divisions and confusion within the society. Such elements, whether inside the country or abroad, will surely be held accountable under relevant laws and no one will be allowed to sow divisions, hatred and propagating fake news, the statement said.
The press release pointed out that on 26 November, protesting miscreants reached Red Zone violating the lawful orders of the Islamabad High Court and directly clashed multiple times with LEAs using fire arms, tear gas shells, stun grenades, steel sling shots and nail studded batons.
It said that Law Enforcement Agencies comprising police and Rangers were employed without live ammunition to disperse this violent mob while army neither came in direct clash with these miscreants nor was employed for riot control.
It said that the armed guards of the protesting leaders and the hard core armed miscreants resorted to indiscriminate firing. The leadership under the cover of such self-induced violence instead of controlling the violent mob fled from the area.
Once the area had been cleared from the violent protestors and miscreants, site media visit was also promptly undertaken by both the Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi followed by the press talks.
Interior Ministry said that social media accounts of PTI resorted to planned and coordinated massive fake propaganda of deaths caused by LEAs so as to divert attention from this senseless, violent and failed activity.
It said sustained fabricated social media campaign, using old and AI generated clips is being viciously undertaken by PTI and joined by other inimical elements.
The Ministry said that there have been multiple false claims of deaths on social media, as well as, pages of PTI political leadership and their official pages. Certain elements of foreign media also fell prey to this fake news and propaganda without any credible evidence.
It said the government functionaries including ministers as well as Chief Commissioner ICT and senior police officials, who were directly involved in the riot control operations, have already repeatedly explained and clarified the actual situation and events unfolding with credible evidences.
The Ministry said that it may also be noted that use of lethal means by LEAs, if at all to be employed, was best suited at multiple enroute blocks rather than within Red Zone under complete media and public glare.
The Ministry said that the officers and jawans of LEAs embraced shahadat, sustained injuries and risked their lives enduring grave physical hardships for multiple days to protect the lives and properties of citizens of Pakistan. Still many jawans of Rangers and police are critically injured and are receiving medical care.
It said that it is deplorable that Chief Minister of KP made baseless inflammatory statements against institutions, using KP Assembly as a platform to distort facts and spread blatant lies, rather than being shameful of inciting innocent youth of KP for such undesirable activities.
It said that it is concerning to note that 39 lethal weapons including 18 automatic weapons have been recovered from the violent protesters and that amongst the apprehended offenders there are more than three dozen paid aliens.
Initial estimates suggest damages to the tune of hundreds of million. Besides, 11 vehicles of LEAs were damaged including prison vans set ablaze, it states.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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