Emergency a constitutional option: Asif

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif Thursday said the emergency was a constitutional option but there was no chance of imposing martial law.

Reacting to the Supreme Court’s order for the release of Imran Khan, Asif said Imran Khan’s personal and public medical reports had a huge difference, as he walked in the Supreme Court corridor without a wheelchair.

He lambasted Imran, saying he had no information about the violent protests but these were actually invoked by his video message, which led to attacks on the corps commander’s house and other military installations, Geo News reports.

Asif maintained that the PTI leaders were directing the workers where to go and they attacked important public buildings. He said the PTI carried out violence on the pattern of a terrorist group, which they had been doing since 2014.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has deferred the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on National Security slated for Friday and instead convened a special meeting of the federal cabinet.

Well-placed sources told The News Thursday that the prime minister shared his anger at the PTI workers’ attacks, spread over 48 hours, on sensitive installations, places and precious public properties in various cities.

Talking to the defence forces high command, Shehbaz fully endorsed the views expressed by the ISPR on the matter.

He termed the PTI workers’ acts of subversion terrorism and anti-state and made it clear that the government wouldn’t spare any of the criminals involved in the nefarious activities.

The sources said the NSC meeting had been shelved due to the unavailability of its two members. The NSC would meet early next week and in all probability, it would be held on Monday.

Meanwhile, the JUI-F chief and PDM President Fazlur Rehman had an important meeting with the prime minister at the PM House soon after the verdict of the apex court’s three-member bench on Imran Khan’s arrest.

The two leaders discussed the political situation with reference to fresh developments and condemned the attacks on sensitive places and properties.

They also discussed the future strategy to deal with the situation.

Fazl has also convened a meeting of his central leadership in Islamabad on Friday (today).

Both Fazl and Shehbaz would be consulting the leaders of the ruling alliance on important subjects and a meeting of the ruling alliance could be convened in the meanwhile.

The sources made it clear that the government would not allow the PTI workers to take the law into their hands and damage installations, properties and create a law and order situation in the country.

The ruling alliance would also draw a line of action for negotiating with the PTI on the question of polls.

Fazl was furiously opposed to talks with the PTI early this month but the PPP and another component party wanted to give a chance to negotiations after which he gave up his opposition for the time being.

Chief Justice Umer Ata Bandial requested Imran Khan Thursday evening to talk to his opponents.

The sources hinted that the ruling alliance would discuss the proposal but this time it appears hard that the ruling parties could come to terms for initiating a dialogue afresh with the PTI on the question of polls in Punjab. However, the proposal of holding polls across the country on one day is still on the table. Interestingly, two of the three interlocutors of the PTI — Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Fawad Ahmad — are in prison. It is unlikely that the talks could start anytime soon, the sources added.