Interior Ministry tackles propaganda after PTI protest in a detailed statement

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior has issued a detailed statement on the protest by the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the events that followed the protest rally.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on 21 November directed the federal government to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in the federal capital. The IHC had directed the Interior Minister to engage with the PTI leadership in this regard, said the ministry’s statement.

Given the sensitivity of Belarusian President and Chinese high level delegation visit, PTI was initially asked to postpone the protest but on their persistence to continue with the protest, PTI was subsequently offered Sangjani area as a designated location. The ministry said that out of the ordinary and at odd timings, meetings were also allowed between PTI leadership and Imran Khan, for this purpose.

However, in spite of the extraordinary concessions extended, PTI blatantly violated the court’s orders, refused to move to the designated place, and instead tried to unlawfully move towards the Red Zone of Islamabad.

Throughout the protest march from Peshawar to Red Zone Islamabad, violent protestors of PTI aggressively engaged the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) repeatedly using fire arms and all sorts of other weaponry including steel sling shots, stun grenades, tear gas shells and nail studded batons to force their way to Red Zone, the Interior Ministry’s statement said.

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This violent protest was primarily orchestrated and logistically and financially sustained and supported by the resources of the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Alarmingly, PTI’s protest included violent and trained miscreant elements including many illegal Afghan nationals who spearheaded the riots and violent activities throughout the march.

These miscreants, employed as violent vanguard, comprised of approximately 1,500 hard core fighters working directly under absconder and proclaimed offender Murad Saeed. This vanguard group, using militant tactics violently attacked the LEAs and breached the blocks with the help of government machinery paving the way for the second wave of vehicles and protestors to cross. It must be noted that LEAs personnel, despite sustaining grievous injuries, exhibited high degree of restraint against these violent protesters.

During this, a vehicle also ran over Rangers personnel performing duty at a check post in Islamabad, resulting in the martyrdom of three Rangers soldiers and critical injuries to five. Moreover, during the violent protest, one policeman was martyred and 232 LEAs personnel were also grievously injured. This violent mob not only attacked security forces but also set multiple police vehicles on fire, showcased fire arms, burnt trees and police tents, damaged properties and created terror among the common citizens.

Pakistan Army was deployed in Islamabad under Article 245 of the Constitution only to secure key government installations and foreign diplomats in the sensitive Red Zone while ensuring secure environment for high-profile foreign dignitaries visiting the country.

On November 26, as the protestors reached Red Zone, violating the lawful orders of the IHC, the situation escalated and they directly clashed multiple times with LEAs using fire arms, tear gas shells, stun grenades, steel sling shots and nail studded batons etc.

LEAs comprising Police and Rangers were employed without live ammunition to disperse this violent mob while Army never came in direct clash with the protestors. During this process, the armed guards of the protesting leaders and the hard core armed miscreants resorted to indiscriminate firing, the Interior Ministry’s statement said.

The leadership under the cover of such self-induced violence instead of controlling the violent mob fled from the area. Once the area had been cleared from the violent protestors, site media visit was also promptly undertaken by both the Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi, followed by press talks.

Unfortunately, social media accounts of PTI resorted to planned and coordinated massive fake propaganda of deaths caused by LEAs so as to divert attention from this senseless, violent and failed activity. The major hospitals of the Capital city after due diligence rubbished reports of alleged gun shots casualties inflicted by LEAs.

However, sustained fabricated social media campaign, using old and AI generated clips is being viciously undertaken by PTI and joined by other inimical elements. There have been multiple false claims of deaths ranging from tens to hundreds to thousands on social media as well as PTI political leadership and their official pages.

Alarmingly, certain elements of foreign media also fell prey to this fake news and propaganda without any credible evidence. The government functionaries including Ministers as well as Chief Commissioner ICT and senior police officials, who were directly involved in these riot control operations, have already repeatedly explained and clarified the actual situation and events unfolding with credible evidences. It may also be noted that use of lethal means by LEAs, if at all to be employed, was best suited at multiple enroute blocks rather than within Red Zone under complete media and public glare.

Officers of LEAs embraced martyrdom, sustained injuries and risked their lives enduring grave physical hardships for multiple days to protect the lives and properties of citizens of Pakistan. Still many officers of Rangers and Police are critically injured and are receiving medical care.

Unfortunately, PTI and its social media propagandists are bent upon to create divisions and confusion within the society. Such elements, whether inside the country or abroad, will surely be held accountable under relevant laws and no one will be allowed to sow divisions, hatred and propagating fake news.

It is deplorable that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur made baseless inflammatory statements against institutions, using the provincial assembly as a platform to distort facts and spread blatant lies, rather than being shameful of inciting innocent youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for such undesirable activities.

It is concerning to note that 39 lethal weapons including 18 automatic weapons have been recovered from the violent protesters and that amongst the apprehended offenders there are more than three dozen paid aliens.

With regards to material losses incurred during the violent protests, initial estimates suggest damages to the tune of hundreds of millions. Besides, 11 vehicles of LEAs were damaged including prison vans set ablaze.

Due to these violent protests, indirect losses to the economy are estimated to be Rs192 billion per day. In addition to that, significant expenditure incurred on taking necessary security measures. While the plundering of the financial resources by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government are separate.

The people of Pakistan including the proud people of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa reject this kind of violent and extremist streak of politics. They also reject the baseless allegations and malicious designs behind the vicious propaganda and complete nation wholeheartedly stands firm with peace and stability in the country, said the statement.