Government pledges to use ‘full force’ to block PTI protest clashing with SCO summit.
The government on Saturday pledged to use “full force” to stop the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned protest, which clashes with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on October 15.
The defence minister’s remarks targets Imran Khan-founded party’s announcement to hold a protest in the federal capital on the same day the city is set to host representatives of several countries who will be visiting Pakistan to attend the Council of Heads of Government meeting scheduled from October 15 to 16.
The demonstrations, if held, would be the second in a month in the city.
The previous one last week saw violent protests as the workers of the former ruling party, under the leadership of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, took to the streets in what the party claimed was meant for the “independence of the judiciary” — as the government aims to introduce constitutional amendments — and for the release of its incarcerated founder.
The said protests, as per a report submitted to the city’s chief commissioner by the Islamabad Inspector General’s office, caused damages worth Rs240 million to private and public property.
Asif further said that the PTI wanted to repeat the events of the May 9 riots — which saw military installations being vandalised — and that the party wanted to prevent the country’s progress and development.
The politician also called for the courts to intervene and take notice of the matter.
“Do the courts not see what the PTI founder is doing with the integrity of the country? The actions of the judiciary today will determine their role in history,” he remarked.
