Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has warned that protesters attempting to enter Islamabad will face a strong response, saying the government will adopt a permanent strategy to deal with protests and long marches.
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi said the federal government could not afford repeated long marches and declared that “this time it will be once and for all.” He urged political stakeholders to avoid taking the situation towards a dead end, saying there was still time to resolve differences.
Naqvi was referring to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) proposed long march towards Islamabad. He warned that anyone attempting to march on the federal capital would face serious consequences and said the government would play a full role in maintaining law and order.
The interior minister said the situation would not be the same as during previous protests, when large parts of the city were closed, and daily life was disrupted. He said the federal government would take measures according to its strategy and would introduce a long-term mechanism to deal with future protests.
Naqvi also claimed that a majority of the PTI leadership did not support the proposed long march. He questioned the party’s demands, saying that even some PTI members were unclear about what the demands were. He added that demands could not be accepted through what he described as improper tactics.
The minister also criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, saying that no provincial minister attended the funerals of the martyrs. He said the deceased were Pakistanis and argued that political differences should not be allowed to affect national matters.
He expressed concern over the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said political differences should be kept separate from issues involving national security and public affairs.
Regarding PTI founder Imran Khan’s health and hospital check-up, Naqvi said Khan had been examined at the hospital during the night. He added that everything legally possible for his treatment would be provided.
Naqvi called for political tensions to be reduced, saying differences of opinion were part of politics, but the country’s peace, citizens’ lives and property, and state affairs should not be affected by political disputes.
His remarks come amid heightened tensions between the federal and provincial governments over the PTI’s proposed September 27 protest in Islamabad and preparations for maintaining security in the capital.