Nisar says vandals, not protesters taken into custody

• Interior minister says 20 people responsible for attacks on PTV, Parliament House identified, 7 arrested
• Says demands can only be met on table, not roads, invites PTI, PAT to present record, identify their men, assures no innocent person will be touched by police

Inviting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leaders to identify the “innocent”, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Saturday laid the onus of Pakistan Television (PTV) Headquarters attack on the arrested workers.

Addressing a press conference in the capital, the interior minister said that PAT and PTI had disowned the attackers within 24 hours of the attack on PTV.

“If they are not their people, why are they making all this hue and cry then? It is possible that a wrong person got arrested but we have photographs of the attackers. I assure that each attacker will be identified with the help of images and I want to engage PTI and PAT in this activity too. I invite both the parties to present their record. No wrong person will be touched,” Nisar said, hoping that talks would resume after this clarification on the issue of workers’ arrests.

“Demands can only be met on table, not roads,” the interior minister added.

Nisar said that some of the attackers were arrested from Punjab, some while entering or exiting the sit-ins and some from other places.

“As many as 20 people have been identified while seven of them have been arrested,” said Nisar, adding that it was not an attack on someone’s personal property. “It was an attack on a state institution. Eight expensive cameras were snatched and each was at least worth 7 to 8 lakh rupees.”

During the press briefing, the interior minister showed the images of people stealing water from the water pipelines. He showed images of electricity being stolen at the sit-in at four different places. He said that the proofs of the electricity theft have been provided. Not acting after evidence would have been unfair to our duties, said Nisar.

The minister said that Pakistan should be thankful to the media as their cameras helped identifying the people who were involved in attacking PTV building and Parliament House.

Moreover, Nisar said that there was credible threat of terrorists’ attack at the sit-in. “It was communicated to us that five to six terrorists are trying to attack the sit-in. Pillion riding was banned after information that the terrorists may come on motorbikes.”