Islamabad [Pakistan], October 13 (ANI): Pakistan Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal, has condemned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s call for a protest at D-Chowk in Islamabad on October 15, coinciding with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
He described the protest as “political terrorism,” accusing the PTI of attempting to malign the country’s image and stop its development and economic progress, as reported by Dawn.
The PTI had suspended its protests in Punjab and announced a nationwide call for party leaders and workers to gather in Islamabad on October 15. Besides, they sought immediate access for their leaders and family members to Imran Khan, the party’s founder, who remains incarcerated in Adiala Jail.
The government had earlier banned visits to prisoners in Adiala Jail until October 18 for security reasons in view of the SCO summit.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Iqbal expressed disappointment over the timing of the PTI’s protest, which he said undermined the country’s prestige during the summit. He drew a parallel between the political unrest and terrorism, saying, “Now there is no doubt, that terrorism in Karachi and political terrorism protest calls are similar,” as reported by Dawn.
Iqbal suggested that the “scriptwriter” behind these actions was the same person using both terrorists and political forces to disrupt Pakistan’s progress.
He urged PTI supporters who genuinely wanted change to recognize the damage their party’s actions have caused, recalling how previous protests in 2014 delayed the Chinese president’s visit to Pakistan.
He warned that the PTI’s current actions were aimed at undermining the government’s economic recovery efforts and stressed the importance of avoiding destructive politics, stating, “Just because PTI’s leader is jailed doesn’t justify chaos.”
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also weighed in, stating that the courts should take notice of the protest call. “The state will use all its power, resources, and might … to stop this attack on the country’s reputation,” Asif said, emphasizing that the government would not allow anyone to sabotage the SCO summit, Dawn reported.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam strongly rejected the protest call, labeling it “proof of anti-nationalism.” He accused the PTI of undermining Pakistan’s interests at a time when the SCO summit holds significant importance for the country.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, and Information Secretary Shazia Marri also condemned the protest call, stressing that such actions could only damage Pakistan’s reputation and benefit its adversaries. (ANI)
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