• Asif says full force of state will be used to foil ‘agenda of chaos’
• Ahsan, Talal term protest conspiracy against state
• PTI, Taliban two sides of the same coin, says Azma
• Punjab imposes Section 144 in five more districts

ISLAMABAD: The government officials on Saturday las­hed out at the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for its Oct 15 protest call, comfortably hurling “terrorism” and “Tali­ban” labels at Imran Khan’s party and denouncing it as a deliberate attempt to undermine the country’s progress and sabotage the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Khawaja Asif, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari and PML-N Senator Talal Chaudhry condemned the planned protest as “political terrorism” and a “conspiracy against the state”.

Speaking at a press conference, Planning Minister Ahs­an Iqbal criticised the timing of the protest, coinciding with the SCO summit hosted by Pakis­tan, which he described as a great honour for the country.

“There is no doubt that terrorism in Karachi and political terrorism protest calls (in Islamabad) are similar,” the minister said, apparently referring to the recent suicide attack near Karachi airport targeting Chinese nationals.

“The scriptwriter is the same who, on one hand, is using terrorists to carry out explosive attacks and, on the other, is using PTI to spread anarchy and undermine Pakistan’s vital interests,” he said.

Mr Iqbal urged PTI supporters to recognise the damage caused by their party’s actions, citing the 2014 dharna that delayed the Chinese president’s visit and disrupted the CPEC. “Now, as Pakistan embarks on CPEC Phase II with renewed enthusiasm, PTI is again attempting to derail our progress,” he said.

He warned Pakistan couldn’t afford destructive politics, poi­n­ting out that PTI’s leader being jailed does not justify chaos. He highlighted the importance of the SCO summit.

“This is a proud moment for Pakistan,” he said, adding that the Chinese PM’s de­­cision to extend his visit by one day to hold talks with Pakis­tani leadership underscores the importance of Pakistan-China ties.

‘Agenda of chaos’

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused PTI of prioritising its leader’s personal interests over national development.

In a separate presser at his residence in Sialkot, Mr Asif said PTI’s decision to call a protest as Pakistan prep­ares to host the SCO summit was an attempt to undermine the country’s international standing.

“PTI protests have always aimed at obstructing Pakis­tan’s progress,” he said, adding that the government would protect the country’s interests at all costs.

“We will not be blackmailed by the PTI under any circumstances and will never allow anyone to spread chaos and anarchy in the country under the guise of protests,” Mr Asif said, adding that “full force of the state” would be used against those who attacked the country’s integrity.

Mr Asif also accused the judiciary of giving undue concessions to PTI’s leader, claiming that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif was denied such privileges when imprisoned.

PTI, Taliban ‘sides of same coin’

Punjab Information Mini­s­ter Azma Bokhari accused PTI of acting against Pakis­tan’s development, likening the party to the Taliban.

In a press conference in Lah­ore, she condemned PTI’s Oct 15 protest call, adding that the party “has declared war against the state” and “will be treated as an enemy is treated in wartime”.

She accused PTI of kidnapping its parliamentarians and holding them hostage in Khy­ber Pakhtun­khwa in anticipation of the passage of a proposed constitutional package.

Ms Bokhari called for unity among parties, the media and the judiciary to eliminate the chaos PTI has caused. She criticised Imran Khan’s leadership, stating that when he was in power, foreign leaders refused to engage with him, but now, as 12 heads of state prep­are to visit Pakistan, PTI cannot tolerate the country’s progress.

She also condemned PTI for allegedly planning violent attacks during the SCO summit, accusing the party of working against Pakistan’s national interests.

PTI’s protest a ‘conspiracy’

Meanwhile, PML-N Senator Talal Chaudhry described PTI’s planned Oct 15 protest as a conspiracy to blackmail the state.

Speaking at a presser in Faisalabad, he said there was no difference between the terrorists who attacked the Chin­ese at Karachi airport and PTI that wanted to launch a protest on the occasion of the SCO conference, which will be attended by 200 foreign delegations.

Mr Chaudhry urged PTI to reconsider its decision, warning that its “anti-national stance” has been exposed and no Pakistani would support such actions. He reiterated that the government and military institutions were on the same page in opposing PTI’s agenda.

On the issue of constitutional amendments, Mr Chau­dhry described PPP Chair­man Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as “the man of the match”, stressing that the party was playing an important role in this matter.

Ban on gatherings in five more districts

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has imposed Se­­c­­­tion 144 in five more distr­icts, banning all political as­­semblies, gatherings and pro­­tests, though PTI has alr­eady cancelled its scheduled protests in different districts.

The Punjab Home Depart­ment notified the imposition of Section 144 in Layyah, Kot Ad­­du, Muzaffargarh, D.G. Khan and Rajanpur for three days from Oct 12. Officials said the home dep­artment an­­­nou­nced the de­­cision on the requests of res­pective Dis­trict Intelligence Com­mit­tees (DIC), as they did not withdraw their requests sent earlier.

The restrictions are aimed at ensuring security during the SCO summit, with Section 144 also currently in effect in Rawalpindi until Oct 17.

Zulqernain Tahir and Mansoor Malik in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2024