Talal Chaudhry links PTI march to banned JKJACC protest

ISLAMABAD: ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Sunday drew a parallel between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned long march on Islamabad and the protest movement of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJACC).

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Chaudhry said the JKJACC had also set the same date for its protest as the PTI, while claiming that the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir had rejected the committee’s protest.

He said elections in AJK were held in three phases and the banned JKJACC had failed to achieve its objectives.

“We had placed several concerns regarding the banned Joint Action Committee before everyone,” Chaudhry said.

He also alleged that a neighbouring country was using its proxies after suffering defeat, without naming the country.

Chaudhry said weapons brought from the neighbouring country were being used to create unrest in Pakistan, alleging that a “gang” was bringing arms into the country.

He claimed that weapons had also been transported from Afghanistan to Kashmir, adding that an individual had initially been arrested in connection with illegal weapons and that further investigations led to the arrest of three more people.

The minister alleged that the neighbouring country wanted to destabilise Pakistan through its proxies and had not forgotten a defeat suffered two years ago.

Chaudhry said the government had earlier placed before the public facts relating to operations carried out on the basis of intelligence information and that more such “intelligence-based facts” would be shared.

Chaudhry also defended the government’s handling of protests in AJK, claiming authorities had refrained from using force against demonstrators.

“If we wanted to use force, it would have been used against the people at the sit-in,” he said, adding that no force had been used since the protest began.

He said security forces had always responded to ‘gangs and mafias’ and were sacrificing their lives to protect the public.

The minister alleged that military action against such elements was subsequently given a “wrong colour” and said all evidence would be presented before the courts.

He further claimed that some people who had disappeared on their own or were involved in illegal activities were later presented as missing persons.

PTI accused of ignoring security concerns

The minister also accused the PTI of not taking security matters seriously “under the cover of politics”.

He questioned the party’s failure to condemn elements involved in spreading unrest, saying it raised questions about its position on security.

Chaudhry also criticised the KP government, accusing it of trying to “score political points” instead of fulfilling its responsibilities.

His remarks came hours after government-PTI negotiations aimed at averting the long march ended in deadlock early Sunday.

The two sides held marathon talks for two days but failed to reach an agreement on key issues, with counterterrorism policy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and access to PTI founder Imran Khan emerging as major points of disagreement.

The government has maintained that the KP government must unequivocally support the federal government and security forces in the fight against terrorism.

He said the opposition had also sought the involvement of Imran’s personal physicians in his medical treatment and demanded that decisions on counterterrorism in KP not be taken unilaterally.

The two sides held marathon negotiations over two days in an attempt to avert the PTI’s October 4 march, but failed to reach agreement on key issues.

Chaudhry said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was trying to “score political points” instead of fulfilling its responsibilities.

Counterterrorism policy in KP was one of the main points of disagreement during the talks, with the government seeking assurances from the provincial government on cooperation with the federal government and security forces in the fight against terrorism.

The PTI, however, maintained that counter-terrorism measures in the province should be decided through consultation between the federal and provincial governments and other stakeholders.

More to follow…