Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave on Saturday a 72-hour deadline to law-enforcement authorities to arrest planners, attackers and instigators of violence that was seen in Pakistan over the past few days after the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan.

Speaking at the Punjab Safe Cities Authority following his visit to the Lahore Corps Commander house, he said: “we will create an example out of the miscreants who vandalised and attacked state institutions so that such an incident never takes place in Pakistan again”.

PTI chief Imran Khan returns home after arrest, riots

“Imran Khan did what Pakistan’s enemy could not in the nation’s 75-year history,” he underlined. “Everyone is saddened except for miscreants. They are no lesser than terrorists.”

The prime minister stated that a Pakistani cannot participate in such anti-state activities.

Every participant of this incident will be punished as per the law and constitution and the planners and attackers will face justice, the PM stressed.

IHC bars IK’s arrest in cases across country till 15th

He emphasised that culprits should be captured and tried in anti-terrorist courts.

“I have recommend increasing the number of terrorist courts and enhancing their timings for trials of the miscreants,” he said.

He lamented that “protectors of the country” were attacked who had “sacrificed their lives. This is an insult to martyrs of the nation”.

The PM highlighted that the Core Commander is responsible for controlling law and order but “even his residence was not spared”.

PTI calls for protests after Imran Khan’s arrest

“I visited the core commander house today and it is in ruins,” he said, adding that the residence was burned and destroyed.

He lamented that Imran Khan supported and advocated this move.

Following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday, protests erupted throughout Pakistan that transformed into violence.

Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested and at least eight have been killed since Tuesday, as per Reuters.

Hundreds of protesters blocked highways, main entry and exit routes to all major cities, attacking and burning state buildings, police and public vehicles and rampaged through army installations.

The protests dampened on Thursday after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the “immediate release” of Imran.