Clash Between Pakistani Government and PTI Over Protest Casualties and Potential Party Ban
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Islamabad, Nov 30 (NationPress) The demonstration by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the ensuing crackdown on party members and supporters of Imran Khan by the Pakistani government has escalated into a series of accusations and counterclaims. Furthermore, local media sources report that the present regime is working on a strategy to impose a ban on the PTI, which is led by Imran Khan.
Following a significant crackdown by security forces aimed at dispersing thousands of PTI protestors who took to the streets of Islamabad on November 26, officials from the government reported the detention of 4,185 PTI workers, who are expected to face charges in the country’s Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC).
Information Minister Atta Tarar asserted that the operation to disperse and conclude the PTI protests in Islamabad utilized non-lethal methods, maintaining that there were no casualties among the protestors.
“PTI has initiated a misleading propaganda campaign claiming that security forces killed their workers. I can confirm that no live ammunition was used by security personnel to disperse the demonstrators. PTI is attempting to unjustly accuse the government to serve its own political agenda,” stated Information Minister Atta Tarar.
“PTI claims that hundreds of its workers were killed. I challenge them, where are the bodies? Why is there no evidence in hospitals? PTI is perpetuating a false narrative that hospitals have been coerced into concealing records, which is utterly untrue,” added Atta Tarar.
Conversely, PTI leaders have charged the government with employing state resources to suppress dissent and attempting to obscure its repressive policies by concealing casualties.
A PTI leader contended that at least 12 party workers lost their lives while many others sustained injuries.
“To date, at least 12 individuals have been martyred during the protests. Authorities initially refused to allow the deceased’s bodies to be returned to their families, only releasing them three days later,” claimed PTI leader Sheikh Waqas Akram in a media briefing.
Meanwhile, the Shehbaz Sharif government is preparing to enforce a ban on PTI, collaborating with civil and military authorities to devise a plan to prevent any further attempts to march towards the capital.
During a recent cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif remarked that PTI's protests and the upheaval in Islamabad have damaged Pakistan's international standing.
“Pakistan’s reputation has suffered immensely. This marks the third or fourth incursion into the federal capital by PTI in the last eight months. The national economy has also taken a significant hit, with conservative estimates suggesting that such protests result in a loss of Rs.190 billion per day,” asserted PM Shehbaz Sharif.
His remarks come at a time when a resolution to impose a ban on PTI has been approved in the Balochistan provincial assembly, with a similar resolution introduced in the Punjab assembly, citing PTI's alleged anti-Pakistan activities.
In response, PTI has declared its intention to challenge the government's ban efforts, announcing that it will propose a resolution in the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) assembly aimed at banning the ruling parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People Party (PPP).
Analysts believe that the PTI protests and the manner in which its leadership, including CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur and Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, distanced themselves from the protests have significantly undermined the political standing and credibility of PTI leadership among its supporters. This situation is proving even more precarious for Imran Khan, whose immediate release was a primary demand of the PTI protests.
“The days ahead are likely to be increasingly challenging for PTI and its leadership, as thousands of its workers have been arrested and new cases have been filed against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and other PTI leaders. This suggests that Imran Khan may spend an extended period in custody, and his wife could also face imprisonment. None of this bodes well for PTI, Imran Khan, or the future political landscape of the party,” stated senior political analyst Javed Siddique.
