By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the destruction of public and private infrastructure in violent protests by supporters of former premier Imran Khan following his arrest in a corruption case, which compelled the coalition government to deploy troops in the capital Islamabad, the most populous province of Punjab, and volatile regions of the northwest.
“Attack on public property is an act of terrorism and enmity towards the country,” Sharif said in his first public remarks since the former premier’s arrest.
“Harming the government and private property is terrorism. This is sheer anti-nationalism.”
After Khan was arrested on Tuesday, crowds in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and other major cities blocked roads, clashed with police, and set fire to police checkpoints and military and government facilities in violence that left six people dead and hundreds arrested.
“Such scenes were never seen by the people of Pakistan,” Sharif said in an address to the nation. “Even patients were taken out of ambulances and ambulances were set on fire.”
Calling such attacks “unforgivable,” he warned that those involved in violence would be given exemplary punishment.
Sharif said Khan’s arrest was prompted by his alleged involvement in corruption, claiming the existence of supporting evidence for the charges.
Khan is presently detained at a police compound in Islamabad. A judge presiding over a temporary court in the compound extended the detention of the cricketer-turned-politician by at least eight more days.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan has never seen such scenes in the last 75 years.
“He (Imran Khan) did the malign act of provoking a few hundred against Pakistan. The heart of the whole nation has been wounded. The protestors did what the real enemies of Pakistan could not do in the last 75 years.”
Warning the protestors, Sharif said, “I warn them (protestors) to look after their activities and stop the anti-nationalism otherwise they would be handled accordingly.”
Sharif stressed that the current political situation in the country is marked by tension, emphasizing that retaliatory actions within politics have historically failed to yield positive outcomes.
“Political parties have absorbed valuable lessons from the past and have abandoned the pursuit of revenge in politics. Instead, we have dedicated ourselves to serving the interests of the people of our nation. This guiding principle was at the forefront of our minds when we assumed the responsibility of governing on April 11. Unlike Imran’s four-year tenure, we have never engaged in malicious treatment of our political opponents,” he stated in his address.
The premier emphasized the paramount importance of protecting the State and ideology of Pakistan, asserting that they are more valuable than individual lives. He firmly declared that any attempts to conspire against these vital aspects would not be tolerated.
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