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ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi claimed on Tuesday that a “secret leadership” is controlling the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)” and hindering efforts of the party leaders to reduce political tensions via dialogue.
“Not the entire PTI leadership wants bloodshed and is willing to negotiate,” said the security czar while talking to the media in Islamabad’s D-Chowk on Tuesday. “Only a secret leadership is sitting there and controlling everything.”
The interior minister said that the “secret hand” won’t be successful as “it is the root cause of chaos and has a different agenda”.
Naqvi visited D-Chowk to review the security arrangements up to Shaheed Millat Chowk.
Despite the ongoing shelling by miscreants, the security czar reached Shaheed Millat Chowk and met the personnel on duty. He stood by the personnel during the shelling, boosting their morale, urging them to courageously counter the miscreants.
Naqvi also blamed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for providing tear gas shells to the PTI protesters which are being used against the law enforcement agencies.
The security czar said the police should tackle the current situation at their discretion. “IG has all the powers how to handle them. We had offered the protesters to go to Sangjani, however, they used dialogue to gain time and make further advancement,” he said.
It is noteworthy to mention here that the federal government offered the former ruling party to stage its sit-in at Sangjani and warned them of strict action if they failed to comply with the orders a day ago.
The interior minister confirmed that four security officials, including three Rangers personnel and one policeman, were martyred a day ago during clashes between the PTI protesters and the law enforcers a day ago.
Moreover, several other law enforcers from Rangers and Punjab Police were critically wounded in the clashes, he added.
He emphasised that the government does not want to see any loss of life and also urged the former ruling party not to go towards bloodshed.
Earlier today, the federal government deployed the army in the capital amid escalating violence during the major opposition party’s protest.
The Interior Ministry issued a notification invoking Article 245, allowing the military to assist in maintaining order and deal with the miscreants with an iron hand. The notification also grants the army authority to impose curfew wherever necessary to curb lawlessness.
Sources indicate that security forces have also been authorised to shoot miscreants and troublemakers on sight.
The PTI supporters have entered the federal capital on the call of their jailed party founder to gather at D-Chowk in the capital and stay there until their demands are met. The release of jailed ex-premier among other issues is what the party seeks.
A security lockdown has been imposed in the federal capital for the last two days to block PTI convoys from entering the federal capital, while highways into the city have been barricaded.
The Imran Khan-founded party, in recent months, has marched on the federal capital on multiple occasions which has seen its workers clashing with the law enforcement agencies (LEAs).