No dialogue with PTI protesters, announces Interior Minister Naqvi

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Tuesday the government would not hold talks with the protesting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in any case.

Talking to the media in Islamabad after PTI supporters reached D-Chowk in large numbers despite deployment of heavy contingents of police, Rangers and the army, Naqvi blamed the former first lady Bushra Bibi for all the chaos going on in the federal capital. He said that Bushra Bibi was responsible for all the losses caused by the protests. He said that he would give details of all the losses. 

Naqvi said these people claimed they were coming for a peaceful protest and everyone saw how peaceful they have been. He said that three Rangers personnel and a policeman were martyred during the protest and PTI’s social media spread the news that they were hit by their own vehicle. 

The interior minister was also accompanied by Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. Tarar said that PTI protesters should not test the State’s patience. He said that those taking the State’s patience as weakness were mistaken. 

Referring to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, Tarar said she wanted bloodshed, but the government would not give her bodies. He said that Bushra Bibi wanted anarchy in the country. He said that Bushra Bibi was telling Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to lead the protest, but why wouldn’t she bring her own children to lead the protesters? 

He said it was easy to open fire on the protesters as the fire would clear D-Chowk, but the government did not want bloodshed. He said that a reference would be filed under Article 6 of the Constitution at appropriate time.