Tariq Fazal warns PTI of ‘other options’ if Sept 27 march goes ahead
Says govt’s first option is a peaceful solution but will use other means if PTI marches on Islamabad
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry warned on Thursday that the federal government would employ "other options" if the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) pressed forward with its planned march on Islamabad on September 27. Chaudhry stated that the government was attempting to resolve the matter through legal means, emphasizing its desire to maintain law and order without confrontation.
The PTI has organized a central convoy from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, with additional caravans from other regions anticipated to join before proceeding to the capital city. Speaking on a private television program, Chaudhry detailed the government's first course of action as attempting to use legal and judicial methods to persuade the PTI to avoid marching through armed groups.
Referring to prior instances, he highlighted that the government had intelligence suggesting the PTI's planned march would not be peaceful and could lead to violence, with the intention of creating unrest in Islamabad. Chaudhry warned that if the PTI failed to heed the government's warning, the latter would take stringent measures to prevent the march, resorting to other means if a peaceful resolution could not be reached.
When asked about finding a middle ground to avert a confrontation, Chaudhry noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had personally contacted PTI's opposition leader in the National Assembly, extending an invitation for talks. He reiterated that this offer remained open. However, Chaudhry's counterpart, K-P Information Minister Shafi, criticized the government's approach, asserting that it was unprecedented to take such action against an upcoming event before it even occurred.
Shafi accused the government of attempting to exploit the PTI's protest, emphasizing that the party was not implicated in the May 9 incident. PTI leader Jan dismissed the government's offer for dialogue, stating that negotiations had already been attempted twice without success and that the time for discussion had long since passed.
He vowed that if the government proceeded with its threats, two million protesters would converge on Islamabad on September 27, led by K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, ready to confront any measures taken by the authorities.
Written by urgent.news from The Express Tribune - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
