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Ikram Junaidi |
Ahmad Fraz Khan
May 17, 2023
• Says ‘acknowledges importance’ of statement issued after commanders meeting
• Imran says Pakistan going through ‘Mongolian phase’, will announce ‘next plan of action’ tomorrow
ISLAMABAD / LAHORE: Embattled PTI on Tuesday alleged that last week’s arson attacks and shootings after former premier
Imran Khan’s arrest were carried out by the “agencies men” so that a crackdown on the party could be justified.
Separately, in video messages, Mr Khan said he would announce his “next plan of action” during a party protest at Muridke on Thursday (May 18) and urged the nation to attend the rally in large numbers.
He said a culture of fear was being spread through electronic and social media and compared the current scenario with tactics used by Mongol Empire founder Genghis Khan to instil fear in the public.
The reaction came a day after a
special corps commanders’ conference vowed to bring violent protesters, who attacked civil and military installations last week, to justice through trial under relevant laws of the country, including the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act.
The PTI said it acknowledged the importance of the statement issued after that meeting of the military’s top brass and “considers the impression of a well-thought-out plan of promoting violence and mayhem engulfing several government buildings, military structures and hundreds of unarmed and peaceful citizens”.
Describing itself as a responsible and the largest political institution in the country, the PTI said it had “an unwavering commitment to the Constitution and democracy”.
The statement, issued by the PTI’s central media department, said peaceful protests after Mr Khan’s arrest on May 9 was “a natural and foreseeable reaction”.
It may be mentioned that May 9 was
declared a “dark chapter” by the military after the demonstrations turned violent However, PTI claimed that there was “irrefutable evidence” to establish that armed miscreants entered those peaceful gatherings, indulged in arson and fired live bullets on peaceful protesters, killing dozens and injuring hundreds.
This, the party said, was done “to incite confrontation between the largest political force in the country and the armed forces of Pakistan”.
These elements must be identified through “a credible investigation”, it said, adding that after his release Mr Khan also demanded a powerful judicial commission consisting of Supreme Court judges to investigate the matter.
