ISLAMABAD: Pakistan: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of orchestrating a planned attack on the federal capital.
Speaking to the media, Naqvi claimed that the government had made every effort to negotiate with PTI leaders but they were only interested in delaying tactics. He alleged that a “secret leadership” was controlling the protests, and that the majority of the protesters had been brought in from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“We offered the protesters to gather at Sagjani. Their entire leadership does not want a bloodbath, but there’s one secret leadership that is controlling all this,” Naqvi said.
He further revealed that he had instructed the Islamabad Inspector General of Police to take all necessary measures to control the situation, even if it meant resorting to force.
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“If we had opened fire on the protesters, no one would have come forward, but we are showing restraint,” he added.
Meanwhile, a large PTI protest march, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Omar Ayub, and Bushra Bibi, has reached Faisal Avenue and the Blue Area. Clashes have erupted between the protesters and law enforcement, with both sides using tear gas and stones.
The government has deployed the army to secure government buildings in the Red Zone, and all entrances to D-Chowk have been sealed off.
