Rawalpindi suspect holds meetings with PTI leadership: Talal
ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday claimed that the suspect killed by security forces on Rawalpindi Mall Road resided in a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa house and held meetings with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership.
In a televised address on state-run PTV, Chaudhry said that PTI cannot absolve itself of the Rawalpindi Mall Road incident. The suspect opened fire without any fear on a patrolling team and, as a result, one security personnel sustained bullet injuries, he said, adding that PTI has been asked time and again to refrain from the politics of hatred, anarchy, and violence. The PTI has also been asked not to influence the youth with ideas which cannot be removed from the minds, he said.
“Due to politics of hatred and anarchy, the May 9 and November 26 incidents happened, as well as the Mall Road incident occurred”, he said.
The minister said that the PTI leadership can absolve itself of the incident by claiming that they have no relation to the worker [attacker] or that he was mentally unstable. “If he was mentally unstable, then why did he not attack his own family members?”, he said, adding that why he did not attack a leader of his party. He only attacked security forces, against which the party allegedly incited him.
He asked, “Were the security personnel ever attacked by the suspect affiliated with any political party?” The deceased party worker had been staying in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House and held meetings with party leadership.
“The suspect had a PTI flag with him and other information on his mobile phone”, he said, adding that some of his videos are available on social media in which he is seen attacking security forces.
“Why did you keep the worker [suspect] on the frontline during the protests?”, the minister asked.
The state minister said, “Are vandalism, setting things on fire, and violence part of politics? What have you given to people in the province where you have had government for the last 17 years?” “Through violence and vandalism, you are neither serving your party nor province”, he said.
He alleged that during the planned long march to Islamabad on September 27, they [PTI] will repeat the same game. “When they filled hatred in the minds of workers, they will do the same thing”, he said, adding that both the statements and speeches of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan filled the mind of the public with hatred and discord.
Chaudhry alleged that PTI not only targeted soldiers but also martyrs. The party did not spare the statues of several military personnel. The party leadership, as well as You Tubers, social media influencers, and opinion makers outside the country whose only purpose was to gain views and earn money, are responsible for the Mall Road incident, he said.
Chaudhry said that a fair and free investigation is continuing into the incident and it will be completed soon. The outcome of the probe would be made public soon, he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026