The Government of Pakistan on Sunday reiterated its rejection of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s allegations of security forces killing at least 12 of its workers during last week’s Islamabad protest, maintaining not even a single demonstrator was shot by law enforcers.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed the government had “allowed” the PTI’s rally to proceed until the edge of the high-security Red Zone to avoid bloodshed. “No security personnel carried live ammunition on the day of the protest,” he said alongside Interior Secretary Khurram Ali Agha, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa, and Islamabad Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi.
Accusing the PTI of disseminating fake images and videos on social media to falsely claim the killing of its workers, Tarar emphasized that law enforcement had not shot any protester. Rather, he said, four security officials, including three Rangers and a policeman, were martyred in the violence, while 190 security personnel were injured. The injuries, claimed the minister, were caused by stone-pelting, slingshots, and gunfire from the protesters.
According to the minister, absconding PTI leader Murad Saeed had masterminded the violence. He claimed the fugitive PTI leader was hiding in the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar.
Interior Ministry
In a statement, the Ministry of the Interior backed Tarar’s claims and emphasized that the PTI’s entire protest was “unlawful” in light of the Islamabad High Court (IHC)’s ruling. It accused the PTI of breaching the Red Zone and rejecting the government’s offer to hold a sit-in at Sangjani instead.
The Interior Ministry statement further accused the PTI of “aggressively” engaging armed forces, and orchestrating the protest using state resources of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government. It alleged the PTI convoy had included hundreds of “trained miscreants,” including Afghan nationals. “These miscreants, employed as a violent vanguard, comprised approximately 1,500 hardcore fighters working directly under absconder and proclaimed offender Murad Saeed,” it alleged.
The ministry also sought to clarify the impression that the Army had directly clashed with PTI supporters. It said the military was deployed in the capital under Article 245 of the Constitution “only to secure key government installations and foreign diplomats in the sensitive Red Zone while ensuring a secure environment for high-profile foreign dignitaries visiting the country.” The police and Rangers, it said, did not possess any live ammunition. It lamented that the PTI leadership had opted to flee the scene rather than attempt to control their mob.
The statement accused the PTI of a “planned and coordinated massive fake propaganda of deaths caused by LEAs so as to divert attention from this senseless, violent and failed activity.” It noted major Islamabad hospitals had denied the PTI’s claims, and lamented a “sustained fabricated social media campaign” against Pakistan’s security forces from the PTI and “other inimical elements.”
Accusing the PTI and its “social media propagandists” of creating divisions and confusion within society, it warned that all such elements—whether in Pakistan or abroad—would be held accountable under relevant laws.
The Interior Ministry also slammed KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for “baseless inflammatory statements against institutions, using KP Assembly as a platform to distort facts and spread blatant lies, rather than being shameful of inciting innocent youth of KP for such undesirable activities.”
It reiterated claims of authorities recovering 39 lethal weapons, including 18 automatic weapons, from the protesters, adding the apprehended individuals included more than 36 “paid” foreign nationals. The ministry further claimed that initial estimates suggested damages of hundreds of millions during the protest. “Due to these violent protests, indirect losses to the economy are estimated to be Rs. 192 billion per day,” it added.
KP rejects allegations
The provincial government, in a statement, rejected the federal government’s “ridiculous” allegations regarding Murad Saeed hiding at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar. Adviser on Information Muhammad Saif said he was willing to provide a “free tour” of the premises to prove the falsity of the claims.
“This is ridiculous, to say the least,” he told daily Dawn. “This is such a non-serious statement,” he added. “Why didn’t the federal government arrest Murad Saeed if they knew he was in Islamabad leading the march?” he questioned, and accused the federal government of shifting its stance.
“Initially, they congratulated everyone on what they claimed was PTI’s failure to organize a large-scale march. But later, they deployed a massive force to prevent the protest from reaching Islamabad,” he said. He also accused the government of covering up deaths of protesters, and blaming Afghans for the violence.