ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday vowed that the government will not grant PTI supporters permission to protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as it falls in Islamabad’s high-security “Red Zone” area.
In a press conference alongside Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, he said that the demonstrators will be allowed to hold their protest at the nearby F-9 park or the Parade Ground.
“But there will be no permission for protest in [the] Red Zone and anyone who tries to enter [the area] forcibly will be dealt as per law,” he warned.
In a tweet, he also said that there was apprehension of “PTI miscreants attacking ECP”, hence a ban had been imposed on protests in the Red Zone. Sanaullah’s statement comes hours after senior PTI leader Asad Umar reminded supporters to protest outside the ECP offices in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar tomorrow (August 4) against the commission’s verdict in the prohibited funding case.
On Monday, PTI chairman Imran Khan had also called on supporters to rally outside the electoral body’s headquarters to demand Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja’s resignation.
In today’s press conference, the interior minister said that peaceful protest was everyone’s right in a democratic society. “We have allocated two spots for them. But if they indulge in violence, action will be taken.”
Referring to PTI’s “Azadi March” in May, he alleged that the party had brought armed activists and ministers with them. “If this time they undertake any adventure, they will be dealt with force,” he warned.
