Federal Minister for Planning and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Central Leader Ahsan Iqbal Sunday apologised to the nation for inconvenience caused due to government-installed barricades, adding that if the government had not taken these measures, there could have been riots in Lahore.
Addressing a press conference, Iqbal justified the imposition of barricades saying, “Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers want to spread violence and anarchy,” he said.
Iqbal said the government is duty-bound to maintain peace in the country and held the protestors responsible for difficulties being faced by the citizens as a result of demonstrations.
Terming PTI’s ‘Azadi March’ as a ‘destruction march’, the minister said that the protest demonstration can be held any other day and PTI Chairman Imran Khan should not have singled out August 14 for the demonstration.
To a question, he said that Khan and Qadri are two sides of the same coin.
“We cannot accept any march in view of the international situation,” he said.
Iqbal said the long march is a conspiracy against democracy and the armed forces.
He said that Pakistan’s army believes in supremacy of law and constitution.
He said that the government is going to launch the long march of development on Monday by unveiling Vision-2025.
Iqbal said that the government believes in solution of all issues through dialogue. He said that the Electoral Reforms Committee of Parliament has been constituted to resolve all election-related issues.
