Pak Govt Accuses Imran’s Party of Orchestrating Violence During Peace March in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Islamabad: The Pakistan government on Sunday accused jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of orchestrating violence during a peace march over the weekend in a major town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in which one person was killed.

Information Minister Atta Tarar addressed a press conference to criticise the eruption of violence during a march in Bannu by the traders and local elders to press for peace after militants attacked an army facility in the city leading to a bloody clash in which eight soldiers died and ten militants were killed.

However, the march resulted in violence for which the government blamed Khan's PTI.

“The PTI has a history of violent politics. They seek casualties to blame on security forces, acting more like a terrorist organisation than a political party. I call them TTP-PTI,” Tarar said during a press conference referring to the banned terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

“PTI elements infiltrated the traders’ peace march in Bannu, instigating chaos and firing near the attack site. One person died, and 22 were injured. Thankfully, a major disaster was averted,” he added.

The minister claimed that creating instability in the country is part of the PTI’s manifesto, as evidenced by the attack on the Pakistan Television building in Islamabad by its workers in 2014, adding that the party has consistently promoted the politics of violence and used abusive language against political opponents.

He alleged that the incidents of May 9 last year were triggered to get 50 to 60 casualties, to derail the entire system.

In Bannu, one person was killed and 22 others were injured on Saturday when gunfire caused a stampede at a peace rally, attended by thousands who were demanding security.

In its latest attempt to suppress Khan’s party, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government last week announced that it has decided to ban the PTI and seek proceedings against Khan, 71, and ex-president Arif Alvi, 78, among others under charges of treason.

In a fresh crackdown on Saturday, four senior members of his media team were taken into custody allegedly by intelligence agencies.

“International Media Coordinator Ahmed Janjua and three other social media team members have been abducted early this morning,” the PTI party said in a statement.

According to the PTI, there has been a serious crackdown on the PTI social media team in the past two weeks. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic staff and has been published from a syndicated feed)