PMLN asks govt to stop PTI from staging ‘another May 9’

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) leaders have demanded the caretaker government to stop the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) before another May 9-like incident happens in the country.

Addressing a joint press conference on Sunday, Malik Ahmed Khan, Atta Tarar and Azma Bukhari said: “Another May 9 will happen in Pakistan. They [PTI] should be stopped or they will cause great damage to the state of Pakistan. There is not an incident as horrific as May 9 in our memory.”

Malik Ahmed said Imran Khan founded the PTI to conspire against the state and Pakistan Army, adding that they have not learnt any lesson from the May 9 incident.

Malik added that an organised campaign was being run from the PTI social media accounts and there must be some hidden agenda for spreading the propaganda. “This is a continuation of the same conspiracy that we have been seeing before,” he claimed.

The PMLN leaders claimed that the PTI had started another malicious campaign by uploading pictures of various district returning officers (DROs) and their children on the social media. “These people are not stopping their anarchic behaviour at all,” Azma said adding, “They are now threatening the government employees.”

The PMLN leaders called on the caretaker prime minister and Punjab chief minister to play their role in this regard. “This is the repetition of May 9 riots.”

They also called on former commissioner Rawalpindi to bring forth relevant evidence to support his allegations. “This is May-9 part-two, and a plan to create chaos in country,” Atta Tarar said.

About elections and allegations levelled by the PTI, Tarar said the party had a history of not accepting its defeat. He said former Rawalpindi commissioner had nothing to do with the electoral process and the election results. He was neither a DRO (district returning officer) nor he held any position in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The DROs and returning officers (ROs) worked under the ECP. He said the commissioner would have shown evidence if he had any but spoke without any evidence.

Tarar said a terrible situation was being created by posting pictures of various DROs and their children on social media. They (PTI) were trying to set the country on fire. He stated that on May 9, ambulances and banks were burnt, a conspiracy was hatched against the Pakistan Army. “We have seen this conspiracy against the state and politics they are still trying to worsen the situation,” he added. Malik Ahmad claimed that a conspiracy against Pakistan was being hatched abroad. “What the caretaker government is looking at? What is it waiting for? Everyone already knows about the character of this person. Social media trolls of the PTI are selling hateful content. The caretaker government will be responsible for any new riots; so, it should stop it,” Malik demanded.

Attempts were also being made to make the election controversial under external conspiracy, Atta Tarar alleged and said a social media worker of PTI Arsalan asked to forward the message in sub-groups and informed everyone in the WhatsApp group that Liaquat Chattha was going to hold a press conference. He also showed the screenshot of Arsalan’s WhatsApp message and said from where he got this information in advance. Tarar expressed his amazement saying the elections were fair for the PTI from where its candidates won but were rigged where they lost. “These double standards cannot work; they want to make the election controversial under a foreign conspiracy,” he added.

PMLN leader Azma Bukhari said an attempt to create anarchy was being made in the country, which Pakistan could not afford. She claimed that former commissioner met PTI leader Aslam Iqbal before the press conference.

Meanwhile, PMLN Chief Organizer and nominated Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that those who instigate the bureaucracy to break the law will be dealt with according to the law.

In a statement on Sunday, Maryam Nawaz said that threats to the bureaucracy mean creating chaos in the state system and open permission to create chaos will invite destruction. Maryam further said that the officers should not be afraid or intimidated by threats but should perform their duties according to the law. She concluded that the security of officers will be ensured at every cost and those putting the lives of officers at risk will be handled with iron hands.