Imran Khan wants bloodshed in name of long march: Rana Sanaullah

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Tuesday said PTI chief Imran Khan wanted to create a law and order situation triggering clashes between the people and law-enforcement agencies.

Addressing a press conference here, the minister accused Imran Khan of planning to spread chaos in the name of long march and cited the press conference of Faisal Vawda, the leaked audio of Ali Amin Gandapur and the statement of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Higher Education Kamran Bangash, who could be heard speaking about bloodshed in the federal capital and bringing weapons and ammunition in the long march.

The minister said the government and allied parties had decided to provide tear-gas shells and rubber bullets to the police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel. He said after certain evidences of collecting weapons, ammunition and hiring persons for creating chaos by the PTI, the prime minister and allied parties would be requested for permission to equip the security personnel with weapons and ammunition, so that they could protect the state, the city and themselves from the armed group.

The minister said the politics of Imran, whose ugly face had been unmasked by Gandapur’s audio leaks, was aimed at spreading hate and dividing the nation. He said no political or apolitical group would be allowed to damage the country’s economy and stability.

He asked the chief secretaries and IGPs of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to stand with the law and Constitution after clear evidences of planning by a group to assault the federal capital. Sanaullah hailed the apolitical role of the armed forces and their commitment to perform their role as per the law and Constitution.

To a question, he said a judicial commission had been formed to investigate the tragic killing of journalist Arshad Sharif. He said the report of the commission and facts collected by the two-member team during their visit to Kenya would be shared with the family of deceased and every step would be taken for their satisfaction. “If the mother of Arshad Sharif is not satisfied with the government’s measures, she would be asked to tell other options which might satisfy her and the government would follow it,” he said.

During the next general election, he said the PMLN would be stronger due to lack of support of provincial governments for the PTI. The PML-N would get success in the next election, as there would be a level playing field.

He said negotiations with the PTI were only possible if its leaders accepted the writ of law and Constitution, abandoned their foreign agenda and followed decency in politics. The minister said Imran making claims of bringing a sea of people but the people of Lahore had completely rejected the march of fitna, as only a few hundred people were left when the march reached Gujranwala.

“An investigation is being carried out into the Ehsaas program and you all will be caught red-handed,” the minister said, adding that 8,000 families had been given money in Faisalabad through the Ehsaas program during the elections. To a question, he said that there had been no information about diverting the long march towards Rawalpindi instead of Islamabad.