Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif have met Army chief General Raheel Sharif and taken him into confidence over the government’s decision to allow the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan to hold a sit-in in Islamabad, a private news channel reported.
The channel said that the PML-N senior leaders told the army chief that while it would allow PTI to enter the capital, it has resolved not to allow the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) led by preacher-politician Dr Tahirul Qadri to take out his ‘Inqilab March’ to Islamabad in wake of provocative speeches made by the firebrand cleric.
Nisar and Shahbaz then went to Prime Minister’s House to brief Nawaz Sharif about their meeting with the army chief.
NISAR’S PRESS CONFERENCE:
Addressing a press conference after reports of his meeting with the army chief surfaced, Chaudhry Nisar said that the government had always accepted PTI’s requests for holding protests in Islamabad and even now it would let the party’s Azadi March enter the federal capital, provided they followed the directions of the Lahore High Court and first sought permission from the district governments concerned, which would analyse the request and consider it in light of the security situation.
Taking strong exception to Qadri’s incitement to violence in his public addresses, the interior minister said the government would not allow anyone to create a Syria or Iraq-like situation in Pakistan, giving a clear hint that the government would deal with Qadri’s followers with an iron fist if they attempted to take the road to Islamabad.
Nisar also criticised the rigging allegations made against the ruling party, saying the PTI’s protest was uncalled for and there was no justification left for seeking resignation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif even after the government’s announcement to call for a judicial probe into the allegations.