ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has briefed the foreign diplomats about the recent situation created following the protest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) last week in Islamabad’s D-Chowk.
Briefing the diplomatic corps at the Foreign Office on Wednesday, Dar reiterated the government’s resolve to protect the capital’s Red Zone.
He reiterated that the federal government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had recently enacted a new law, the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024, which prohibited protests in the Red Zone and required district magistrate’s approval for any public gatherings.
The deputy prime minister pointed out that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had also prohibited the PTI from holding any protest in the D-Chowk falling in the sensitive Red Zone. He told the diplomatic community that government had acted in compliance with the court’s decision and tasked the interior minister to hold negotiations with estranged opposition party i.e. PTI but efforts failed to achieve desired results.
The DPM highlighted that the government had always prioritised the security of the Red Zone, which housed critical institutions such as the Parliament House, Supreme Court of Pakistan, federal agencies, and the diplomatic corps.
“The PTI had announced a protest on November 24, coinciding with the visit of the Belarusian president,” Dar said, adding that reflected PTI’s history of scheduling protests on every important occasion.
He recalled that the PTI planned a protest during the recent SCO Summit on October 14-15 and noted that in 2014, their demonstrations caused the postponement of the Chinese president’s visit to Pakistan.
Regarding PTI’s allegations of rigging in 2014 elections, he informed that the Supreme Court had dismissed PTI’s accusations of anomalies in 35 National Assembly constituencies, which was the main reason behind their sit-in. Despite signing a written agreement to apologize for its actions, the party never did so, Dar elaborated.
He highlighted that the federal government had offered PTI an alternative protest site in remote Sangjani area, but the party adamantly marched towards the Red Zone. He stated that freedoms and human rights should not be misused for “personal gains”.
The DPM told the diplomatic corps that government exercised utmost restraint, explaining that law enforcement agencies were equipped only with water cannons, batons and tear gas instead of ammunition.
The precautionary and preemptive actions were adopted for the security of critical locations such as the Diplomatic Enclave, Parliament House, and Prime Minister’s House.
During the briefing, Dar also questioned the legality of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government using public resources to organise a protest march into the federal capital, saying that no federating unit should have the right to do so.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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