PESHAWAR: Amid escalating tensions between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the incumbent government, the PTI has announced plans to file cases against top government officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, over the alleged killing of party workers during a protest in Islamabad that ended abruptly following a late-night crackdown.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram accused the government of suppressing facts and arresting those exposing the truth. He stated that FIRs would be lodged against PM Shehbaz, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar for the deaths of protesters.
The crackdown reportedly resulted in the arrests of nearly 1,000 PTI workers, according to the party, as law enforcement dispersed protesters gathered at D-Chowk demanding the release of PTI founder, who has been in custody for over a year. The party claimed that hundreds of protesters were shot, with casualties ranging between 8 and 40.
However, the government denied any direct firing and ruled out fatalities during the operation.
Akram insisted they had video evidence of the incident, alleging that at least 12 protesters were killed and their bodies withheld from relatives. He also accused the authorities of pressuring Islamabad’s Polyclinic Hospital to conceal records of casualties and injuries, asserting that several PTI workers remain missing and in police custody.
Defending the detained protesters, Akram stated they were peaceful demonstrators, not terrorists, and criticized the Punjab government for allegedly raiding residences of provincial MNAs and causing damage.
He warned against the potential imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calling it “the worst of stupidities,” and condemned the Balochistan Assembly’s resolution seeking a ban on PTI.
In response, he pledged to table a resolution in KP Assembly proposing a ban on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Akram also lauded KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for protecting Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s wife, from arrest, describing it as an act of preserving Pashtun honor.
Meanwhile, Gandapur emphasized the need to finalize lists of PTI workers who were killed, arrested, or went missing during the Islamabad protest.
He announced compensation of Rs10 million for the families of the deceased and initiated legal proceedings to secure the release of detained party members.
“Our workers are invaluable assets who have stood resolutely in the face of persecution to secure Imran Khan’s freedom. We will not abandon them during these trying times,” Gandapur affirmed, reiterating the party’s commitment to supporting its members.
