Dar briefs diplomats on PTI protest situation, reaffirms commitment to strong security in Red Zone

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday provided a briefing to members of the diplomatic corps regarding the recent situation involving a protest by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Islamabad last month.

During the briefing, Dar reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring the security of the Red Zone.

The deputy prime minister announced that the government has enacted a new law called the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act of 2024. He said the law prohibits protest demonstrations in the Red Zone and mandates that public gatherings require a magistrate’s permission.

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He explained the government’s actions against the protesters by stating that the Islamabad High Court had prohibited the PTI from holding any protest gatherings in the Red Zone.

Following the court ruling, the government assigned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to engage with the party, but the efforts were unsuccessful.

He stated that the federal government always prioritised the Red Zone’s security, including Parliament House, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, federal institutions, and the diplomatic corps.

Dar informed the diplomats that the PTI party chose to hold a protest on November 24, which coincided with the planned visit of the Belarusian president.

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He claimed that the timing was consistent with the party’s previous practice of scheduling protests on significant dates, such as the SCO summit earlier this year and the 2014 protests that “led to the postponement of the Chinese president’s visit”.

Dar also recalled that the Supreme Court dismissed PTI’s claims of rigging in 35 National Assembly seats, which was the primary reason for the 2014 sit-in.

Despite having committed to apologise in a written agreement with the government, the party never issued an apology, according to the foreign minister.

Dar was of the view that PTI attempted to march into the Red Zone despite the government’s offer of an alternative protest site in Sangjani.

He emphasised that freedoms and human rights should not be exercised in ways that cause lawlessness and endanger the lives and property of both Pakistanis and the diplomatic corps.

The deputy prime minister said the government showed restraint, as law enforcement agencies were only equipped with water cannons and tear gas, not live ammunition, he claimed.

The police and Rangers were deployed in the first two tiers, with the army as the third line of defense to protect the Diplomatic Enclave, Parliament House, the Prime Minister’s House, and other important buildings.

Dar also questioned the legality of KP provincial government allegedly using public resources to stage a march on the federal capital, asserting that no federating unit had the right to do so.