Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday condemned the barbaric ways to which peaceful PTI protesters have been subjected and demanded full investigation into the killing of 23 citizens and security personnel across the country on Friday.
Imran was saddened by the martyrdom of four PTI party workers, Qair Khalid Khan, Kashif and Abrar of PTI Karachi and Muhammad Amir of Peshawar, who had been protesting peacefully. He termed the violence an abject failure of the government, and said millions of PTI workers had turned out for Friday protests in more than 100 cities in response to an appeal by their leader for peaceful demonstrations. In a few places some unscrupulous elements within the crowd had resorted to violence and rioting, he observed.
He condemned the hijacking of a day meant to show every Pakistani's love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He denounced the destruction of a Church in Mardan and the looting spree by criminal elements. "The government cannot absolve itself of the primary responsibility of security for every citizen simply by announcing a public holiday, and letting criminal elements hijack peaceful crowds. The rulers have failed the nation on a day when it matters the most for us to project a peaceful image of the Ummah," he added.