Govt to stop PTI’s long march: Rana Sanaullah

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said the government has decided that it would not allow the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to conduct its long march to the capital, scheduled for May 25.

Addressing the media, the interior minister said the decision was taken by the federal cabinet and the government will not allow the former ruling party to spread “chaos”.

“They will be stopped so they cannot propagate misleading agendas.”

Sanaullah said PTI’s proposed long march has nothing to do with the ‘democratic norms’ as they are ‘hell-bent’ on creating uncertainty and spreading anarchy in the country.

Referring to the death of a police constable in Lahore during a midnight raid to arrest a PTI leader, Sanaullah said that “these people [PTI] have moved from abuses to bullets”.

The interior minister said ousted premier Imran Khan wanted to divide the nation. “Do not be misled by Imran Khan. He wants to spread chaos and disorder by calling people from other parties robbers and traitors.”

Sanaullah also claimed that PTI’s leadership had now taken refuge in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and intends to use the province’s resources to “attack the federation”.

“This can not be allowed.”

Vowing to protect the lives and properties of the people in Islamabad “at all costs”, the interior minister clarified that every citizen had the right of freedom of expression and peaceful protest, but the “PTI do not want a peaceful protest”.

Section 144 imposed in Punjab

Earlier today, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Attaullah Tarar had announced that the government, in consensus with all its allies, has collectively decided to impose Section 144 in Punjab “immediately”.

Tarar announced in a press conference that the decision was being taken in light of reports that “weapons were being collected with the intention to instigate violence and chaos in the streets”.

After the imposition of the law, all types of public gatherings exceeding four persons will be banned in the province.

During the presser, it was stated that attempts to disrupt peace were part of a thought-out scheme to wreak havoc in the country and instigate violence.

The PML-N leader added that it was clear to the government now that the PTI wishes to hold a “bloody march”. He shared previous videos and audio recordings of PTI chairman Imran Khan and President Dr Arif Alvi allegedly instigating violence and celebrating the beating of a uniformed officer at the time of party’s march held in Islamabad in 2014.

“Imran Khan wants to cause anarchy and destroy peace so he has dead bodies to appease his ego,” stated Tarar. He furthered that the former premier was a “self-obsessed man” who was unconcerned with the nation’s well-being and its citizens so long as his objectives were fulfilled.

Questioning Imran’s objectives behind the march, Attaullah furthered that it made “no sense” to him why the march was being organised when the country’s suffering has been caused by the PTI government’s own poor policies and incompetence.

He also said that the PTI was resorting to violence because they did not have the numbers for the march.

He also expressed dismay over the killing of Constable Kamal Ahmed late on Monday night, during a raid by a police team at a residence in Model Town C-Block, as police officials attempted to arrest a local PTI leader.

“What was his fault?” implored Atta as he noted that the constable was only performing his duties and alleged that private security guards had gunned him down before he had even entered the premises.

The PML-N leader Attaullah also announced that Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Sharif will be attending the funeral today and that the government will offer aid to the grieving family, particularly to support his five children, the youngest of whom is an eight-month-old.