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Don’t cry over arrests, Nisar to PTI, PAT
Minister says protesting parties on record disown attacks on state buildings *Authorities arresting culprits after identification through NADRA
INPISLAMABAD – Minister for Interior Affairs Chaudhry Nisar Ali has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) have no right to raise hue and cry over arrests of those involved in attacks on the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) and the Parliament House as the protesting parties are on record disowning these attacks.
Addressing a news conference here on Saturday, the minister said that the authorities started arrests of the culprits the day before yesterday after completing the identification process through the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and other sources. He said photographs of those involved in these attacks were advertised and a prize of one hundred thousand rupees announced for those assisting in their identification.
So far 20 of them have been identified and seven of them arrested, the minister confirmed to the media. He said that these belong to Punjab and other areas of Pakistan. He said clear instructions had been given to the authorities not to arrest political workers and action should only be taken against those involved in attacks on the state institutions or the police personnel.
The interior minister said that a committee had been formed for proper identification and the government would welcome association of the PTI and the PAT and even include some journalists in this process to ensure that no innocent person was arrested. He displayed photographs showing participants of the sit-ins attacking the PTV and the parliament, breaking grill of the Parliament House, manhandling senior police officer and electricity and water theft at the venue of sit-ins.
He said that a first information report (FIR) had been registered against the electricity theft at the venue of sit-ins through four direct hooks and stealing of water. He said the capital's main water pipeline had also been breached and water being stolen by the participants of the sit-ins. He stated that all those involved in the attacks on the state institutions and the police personnel and theft of electricity and water would be arrested and tried.
Nisar said that they would be picked up wherever found. He said that it was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that thousands of people were coming to storm the capital but police was disarmed. He said that 11 people with repeaters had been arrested. One wireless set snatched from the police had also been recovered besides gas masks. A very serious security alert was received a day before yesterday about possibility of militants attack on the two sit-ins, he said.
The minister said that the alert was received from a security agency and thereafter security of the participants was beefed up. Apart from deployment of bomb disposal experts, ban was imposed on pillion riding in the capital for 10-day after reports that the militants would come on motorcycles. “How could we provide protection when those deployed for the purpose were treated in this manner,” he said.
Nisar said that the situation had been brought to the notice of the leaders of the PTI and the PAT through formal letters. He expressed the confidence that better sense would prevail and participants of the sit-ins would cooperate in ensuring their security. After clarification of the entire situation about the arrests, the deadlock in talks should end and dialogue resume, he said.
He said that both the parties should realise that only solution of the prevailing crisis was dialogue and nothing else. He said the government and the state institutions would not allow imposing of any solution that amounts to challenging writ of the state. To a question, the minister said neither any general crackdown had been ordered nor contemplated against protestors of the red zone.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk