‘Final call turns out to be missed call’

In a scathing criticism, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar slammed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after the party abruptly called off its protest in Islamabad. Speaking at a press conference, he said: “Such a colossal failure has become their fate. This was not the final call, but merely a missed call.” The minister’s remarks came after the Imran Khan-founded party announced a “temporary suspension” of its “do-or-die” protest following a midnight crackdown by the law enforcement agencies (LEAs), which effectively dispersed the PTI workers who had gathered in the federal capital. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Following the government action, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Khan’s wife and former first lady Bushra Bibi both went incommunicado. However, their whereabouts have since been confirmed by PTI leader Taimur Saleem Khan who said that the duo reached KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati’s residence and was accompanied by National Assembly Opposition leader Omar Ayub. Furthermore, the former ruling party has claimed that eight of its workers were martyred in the protest. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); However, after fleeing from the site of the PTI’s high-stakes Islamabad protest, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday resurfaced in Mansehra, where he assured his party workers that the “sit-in is still ongoing” while the police said that nearly 1,000 protesters were arrested. Meanwhile, the government claimed that the protests caused a loss of Rs190 billion to the economy. After a day of clashes between security forces and protesters in the city’s Red Zone ended in the party leadership’s hasty retreat, the PTI announced in the early hours of Wednesday that it was calling off its planned protest sit-in “for the time being”. Addressing a press conference in the afternoon in Mansehra, CM Gandapur said the sit-in “is still ongoing”, adding that it would not end till PTI founder Imran Khan ordered so. “People have died in this protest, we must pray for them,” the chief minister said during the press conference held at the residence of KP Speaker Babar Saleem Swati. “We have been targets of violence,” he said, lamenting that the PTI was not permitted to protest whenever it sought to. “When we gave the protest call, we said this would be peaceful. Imran Khan said we will go to D-Chowk peacefully and we will not go ahead of D-Chowk where we are not permitted. “[Imran] Khan sahib gave this call, and he said this protest will continue until I call it off,” CM Gandapur highlighted. The chief minister remarked, “It is not necessary that every sit-in has people in it.” “Unfortunately, our party has been cracked down upon, our mandate has been stolen. Our leader is in jail, our leader’s wife was thrown in jail,” Gandapur said, referring to Imran and Bushra, who was recently freed on bail after nine months in jail. “We were going peacefully, talking peacefully, and in the end, the govt came in our path and inflicted violence on us. Why were bullets rained down on us?” the KP CM asked. Terming the planned sit-in a “revolution”, the chief minister said: “If you try and stop it, people will come through other means.” Gandapur’s announcement came after the PTI called off the protest “for the time being” in the early hours of Wednesday, following the government crackdown on its supporters. A press release shared by the party on its official X account read: “In view of the government’s brutality and the government’s plan to turn the capital into a slaughterhouse for unarmed citizens, [we] announce the suspension of the peaceful protest for the time being.” It added that future plan of action would be announced “in light of the directions” of its incarcerated founder Imran Khan after the party’s political and core committees presented their “analyses of the state brutality” to him. The statement, issued by the party spokesperson, condemned the alleged “killing” and “terror and brutality against peaceful protesters in the name of an operation”. The party appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi to take suo motu notice of the alleged “brutal murder of martyred [party] workers” and order legal action against the prime minister and interior minister as well as Islamabad and Punjab police chiefs for “attempt to murder”. Meanwhile, the Islamabad police chief said the law enforcement agencies had arrested nearly 1,000 protesters after crowds were evicted from the federal capital in a sweeping security crackdown. Addressing a press conference, Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Nasir Rizvi said 954 protesters were arrested between Sunday and Tuesday by law enforcement agencies when the crowds came within 1.6 kilometres of the government enclave. He said that 610 of the arrests were made “only on Tuesday alone”. “We will not tolerate any terrorist activity,” Rizvi said. “How can you call it a protest when law enforcement personnel are fired upon, or when public property is damaged? “This is not protest … this is terrorism and terrorism is a form of crime,” the IGP said. He warned that the protesters and those who “instigated” them would be booked. According to the IGP, the demonstrators wielded “every kind of weapon” during the rally. “They were armed with AK47s, they had pistols, every kind of 7.62mm weapon and sniper rifles,” he said, adding that protesters used tear gas and slingshots to attack law enforcement personnel. The IGP added that over 200 vehicles were impounded by police, while 39 weapons were seized, including Kalashnikovs, pistols and 12-bore weapons. “These terrorists brought them and used them on police,” Rizvi said. “Seventy-one law enforcement officers were injured over the last three days, with 52 of them injured only yesterday,” he said. “Of those 52, 27 have suffered firearm injuries.” Meanwhile, addressing a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lamented that the damages from the PTI rally inflicted a daily loss of Rs190 billion to the national exchequer. “This is hurting exports … containers bound for Karachi port are being used to block roads,” the PM said. “There is no more unforgivable crime than damaging the country for personal gain.” He added that life in the twin cities had ground to a standstill. “Businesses were closed, factory owners were worried and labourers were unable to afford meals,” he said. The PM added that as a result of the PTI descending on the capital, the stock market plunged, causing further economic loss. “The stock market exceeded 99,000 points three days ago, a historic milestone,” Shehbaz said. “Within a day, it plummeted by 4,000 points, but once peace was restored, it rose above 99,000 once more.” The prime minister reiterated that the government needed to make harsh decisions to save the state and maintain Pakistan’s progress and prosperity. “We cannot spend all of our energy trying to stop these miscreants,” he said, referring to the PTI and their supporters. “Either we make these choices or deal with these sit-ins daily.” He said he would not allow the state’s efforts to revive the economy go to waste due to civil and social disturbance. “I will not let this happen. I want to make it very clear,” he warned. Separately, data services, after remaining suspended for four days, were restored in various areas of Islamabad – including Red Zone and Bani Gala – as well as Rawalpindi The Islamabad police have filed eight cases against the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including its founder Imran Khan, along with thousands of party workers, in connection with protests in the capital’s D-Chowk area. The FIRs name PTI founder Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, party leaders Ali Amin Gandapur, Salman Akram Raja, Sheikh Waqas Akram, and several local leaders, as well as thousands of unidentified individuals.