• Unruly mob led by PTI lawmakers break down VIP gate
• PPP calls it ‘attack on Sindh’; vows to show restraint
• Govt regrets violence, says workers should protest peacefully

ISLAMABAD: The fears of opposition parties were realised on Friday when a group of charged activists from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) managed to breach the Sindh House.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed in the capital’s high-security Red Zone as Sindh police officials deployed at the provincial house tried their best to ward off the demonstrators, who managed to break down the pedestrian gate of the VIP entrance to Sindh House.

Demonstrators managed to reach the building twice on Friday. The first occasion was around mid-afternoon when they held a demonstration brandishing lotas and placards decrying ‘turncoat’ lawmakers — who had surfaced in Sindh House a day earlier.

It was during the second wave that an unruly bunch, led by PTI lawmakers Faheem Khan and Ataullah, managed to enter the Sindh House premises.

However, according to opposition insiders, government-allied lawmakers staying at Sindh House had already been moved out in anticipation of such an action.

Opposition leaders had earlier expressed concerns about their safety and apprehended an ‘attack’ on Sindh House. A contingent of Special Security Unit (SSU) personnel of Sindh Police were already deployed at the house.

After the episode, PTI leaders regretted the action, while the capital administration imposed ban on gatherings inside the Red Zone.

When the first wave of protesters entered the Red Zone, they demonstrated near a leading hotel before heading towards the Sindh House. When news channels aired reports of this, officials including the swung into action and ordered senior police officers to reach the spot.

But when police arrived, they found a mob that was trying to start fires in front of Sindh House. Sources said that there was a heated exchange between the officers and the protesters, who refused to disperse.

According to insiders, police merely claimed they had cleared the area, but several PTI supporters were still at the scene when local law enforcement departed.

In the meantime, Pakistan Democratic Movement(PDM) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman also asked activists of his JUI-F to reached Sindh House to counter the PTI protest.

At this point, PTI supporters regrouped outside the press club before heading to Sindh House again, led by the two young PTI lawmakers from Karachi.

Again, there were no hurdles to prevent them from reaching their destination, which is located near a slew of official buildings and high-profile residences.

This mob tried to break down the main gate, while some managed to jumped over the wall.

Sindh police personnel deployed there tried to protect the house but did not use any weapons to disperse the crowd. Witnesses and TV footage showed Sindh police personnel being manhandled by the workers of PTI.

A number of activists who breached the premises roamed the grounds of Sindh House before being rounded up by police. However, JUI-F activists and workers — who had assembled at their leaders’ call — were intercepted at the entrance of Agha Khan Road by a contingent of capital police.

After more than half an hour after the gate was broken down, sources said, Islamabad police also arrived at the scene and arrested a number of protesters, who were bundled into police vehicles. Some of the PTI MNAs present at the scene also accompanied the men who were picked up to the Secretariat Police Station.

Later, PM’s spokesperson Shahbaz Gill reached the police station and managed to free those picked up by police.

A case has been registered at the Secretariat Police Station under sections 186, 188, 147, 149 and 422 of the Pakistan Penal Code, while the capital administration has banned all gatherings of five or more persons, processions, rallies and demonstrations inside the Red Zone, a notification issued on Friday said.

After the attack on Sindh House, around 600 police and FC personnel are being deployed on the roads leading towards the Red Zone.

Reaction

The move was roundly condemned by leaders of the PPP, including former president Asif Ali Zardari, who said this act had hurt the federal identity.

Mr Zardari said that if Imran Khan had sufficient numbers, he would have demonstrated his power in the house instead of attacking parliament lodges and Sindh House.

Sharjeel Memon termed the attack “an attack on the province”.

“We appeal to the judiciary to take notice of this terrorist attack on Sindh House,” he said, adding that they were showing restraint, otherwise they too knew the way to Banigala and PM House.

Meanwhile, Sindh Minister for Local Government Nasir Hussain Shah said that PM Khan had panicked and had deliberately sent a few people to Sindh House, but their security staff was prepared to protect the building.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also termed the attack “an act of terrorism”, questioning how the mob managed to reach the building despite the presence of dozens of police checkpoints.

“Sindh House was Sindh’s identity in the federation; Imran Khan has unmasked his hatred by invading Sindh,” the PPP chairman said in a statement.

“We are not the kind of people who take the law into our own hands but we know how to deal with rebellious elements,” he added.

Govt regrets melee

While speaking to a private TV channel on Friday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi regretted the events that transpired at Sindh House, saying it should not have happened.

“When I saw all this I asked the (PTI) workers to vacate the territory. Our workers should register protest in peaceful manner. Our two MNAs who led the protest are also young and I ask them not to do such things,” he said.

“Our workers should not take law into their hands,” Mr Qureshi said.

Party secretary Asad Umar also called on PTI workers not to engage in any unconstitutional or illegal actions.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2022