Photo: The Nation
Islamabad, Pakistan (BBN) - The government has called on the army to help clear a sit-in by religious hardliners blockading the federal capital after police clashed with them, leaving six people killed and hundreds injured.
The Ministry of Interior on Saturday authorised the military deployment as clashes between protesters and police spread from Islamabad to other cities, with hundreds of police officers in riot gear firing tear gas and rubber bullets into crowds, reports a Pakistan based newspaper The Nation.
Early on Saturday, after a midnight deadline expired, police launched an operation to clear protesters from Faizabad intersection linking Islamabad with Rawalpindi, prompting other demonstrators to take to the streets in solidarity, bringing several major cities to a virtual standstill.
A medic, Dr Masood Safdar, said five citizens were brought into the Banazir Bhutto hospital already dead from bullet wounds, and Dr Tariq Niazi of the Holy Family Hospital confirmed the death of a young man shot in the head during the violence at Faizabad.
By nightfall, protests had spread to other main cities with activists brandishing sticks and attacking cars in some areas. New demonstrators had joined the camp in Faizabad continuing the standoff with police.
Private TV channels were ordered off the air, with only state-run television PTV broadcasting.
PTV aired the report of Interior Ministry’s notification seeking armed forces’ help to maintain order in the capital and provide security to the sensitive installations and government buildings.
There was no mention of any timeline or strength of armed forces personnel to be deployed in the federal capital and the decision was left to the military to decide keeping in view the ground realities.
Earlier in the day, Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa rang up Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi advising him to handle the protesters peacefully keeping in view the chain reaction triggered by the operation in other major cities and towns.
ISPR Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor tweeted that the army chief telephoned the prime minister and suggested the clearance operation in Islamabad be handled peacefully, “avoiding violence from both sides as it is not in national interest and cohesion.”
For the whole day the law enforcement agencies with the support of Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel engaged in the violent clashes with the protesters at Faizabad Interchange but could not flush them out of the place and as operation progressed people from other parts of Rawalpindi joined the protesters of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Yah Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLYRAP) making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to handle it ostensibly in the face of their full-of-flaws strategy.
Article 245 was invoked in the order issued by the Interior Ministry calling in the army in aid of civil administration for the security of federal capital.
As per notification; “Pursuant to the request made by the Islamabad Capital Territory Islamabad Administration vide No.1 (1)-HC (G)2017, dated 25th November, 2017, the federal government, in exercise of the powers coffered under article 245 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, read with Sections 4and 5 of the Anti-Terrorism, 1997 and section 131-A CrPC, is pleased to authorize deployment of sufficient number of troops of Pak Army to be determined by the commander 111 Brigade, in aid of civil power, to control law and order situation in Islamabad Capital Territory with effect from 25th November, 2017 tiff further orders.” This notification was issued with the approval of the competent authority.”
Sources in the ruling PML-N informed that the decision of calling in the army was made at a high-level party meeting held under the chair of Nawaz Sharif in Lahore , for which, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi especially flew to Lahore and soon after the meeting returned back.
In the meeting, he also briefed the party leadership about his conversation with General Bajwa and his advice to handle the issue peacefully keeping in view the sensitivity associated with it. He further drew the attention of the fallout of the operation, which could further aggravate in coming days if corrective measures are not taken now.
Following his chat with army chief, the prime minister directed the interior minister to halt the operation and flew to Lahore to have word with the former prime minister where other senior party leaders including Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif were also present.
The issue of taking resignation from Federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid also figured in the meeting to neutralise the tension but many present in the meeting had opposed it at this critical juncture as it would be taken as the weakness of the government and will set wrong precedent.
Zahid Hamid once again called Prime Minister Abbasi and offered to step down as federal minister but the premier had advised him to hold on and let the party leadership decide on this matter.
Sources in the ruling PML-N confirmed that in the meeting held at Lahore majority of the party leaders suggested that government should put its foot down and not bow to the unjust demands of the protesters .
However, for maintenance of law and order situation and security of the sensitive installations in the federal capital it was agreed to call in armed forces in aid to the civil administration.
It is pertinent to mention here that the notification for calling in armed forces was issued in so haste that there are some mistakes in the document, particularly in the list of those who were getting copies of the notification giving the impression as if the security in capital would be required in connection with holding of ECO summit.
Third at the list of those supposed to get copies of the notification read; “Director General Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) Lahore with the request that Sector Commander, Punjab Rangers Islamabad be directed to play proactive role to ensure foolproof security of the participants during ECO Summit.”
The things were so messed up that even nobody was available for comment on the matter to attend to the queries of the media persons on the confusion being created by the notification.
The botched operation — that spanned over 12 hours against protesting workers of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLYRAP) led by firebrand cleric Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the Sunni Tehreek and the Tehreek-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwat — was suddenly suspended after the situation almost spiraled out of control as the charged mob gave a hard-hitting time to the police, the FC, and Rangers to retreat, and they (protesters) took over control of almost every road, street and alley surrounding the sit-in venue.
At least six people including a policeman were killed and 262 others injured in the bloody clashes between law enforcement agencies and TLYRAP activists staging a sit-in at Faizabad Interchange for the last 20 days.
As soon as the police and other law-enforcing agencies fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to break the sit-in, the protesters retaliated with slingshots, stones and sticks barbed with wire and nails. They also threw back tear shells at the law enforcement agencies.
The district administration Islamabad launched the operation against the protesters on court orders. Besides the Rawalpindi police, Rangers, Frontier Constabulary, and other law enforcement agencies assisted the Islamabad police in launching the operation early morning to disperse the protesters .
Sources said three persons were killed after police and security guards of former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan opened fire at a group of protesters who were looking for the policemen who had taken refuge at the residence of Nisar. A police cop was also killed after the mob fired shots at the policemen taking refuge inside Nisar’s residence.
Allied Hospital in Rawalpindi sources revealed the names of three deceased as Adeel, Jahanzeb Butt and Zohaib while the identity of the policeman could not be ascertained till the filing of this report.
The sources said hundreds of charged protesters holding sticks attacked and broke the main gate of Nisar’s residence and threw stones and torched trees and other stuff on the lawn. Intense firing was also heard apparently by the police from inside the residence of Nisar as some bullets also hit high voltage electric wires causing sparks and blasts of low intensity.
“I along with 50 other policemen had gone to the residence of Nisar to protect it from the mob. Nisar fled in an armoured personnel vehicle leaving us at the mercy of the charged protesters ,” said a police officer while talking to The Nation on the phone. He said all the policemen were critically injured and nobody showed up there to rescue them.
“It will be our good luck if today we go back to our homes alive as the protesters have beaten us mercilessly. I am injured seriously and taking refuge in a vehicle,” said another cop while talking to The Nation at Faizabad.
The protesters also set on fire a plaza close to the residence of Ch Nisar.
According to a police spokesperson, as many as 350 protesters were arrested and shifted to various police stations.
Meanwhile, a number district administration officials and police-high-ups including City Police Officer Rawalpindi Israr Ahmed Khan Abbasi, SP Potohar Division Syed Ali, House Officer New Town Police Station Javed Iqbal Mirza, SHO Kallar Syedan Sheikh Qasim, DSP Industrial Circle Islamabad Arif Hussain Shah, SHO PS I-9 Qasim Niazi and Assistant Commissioner Islamabad Abdul Hadi were injured during clashes with the protesters .
Five media persons were also injured as they came under pelting stones, who were moved to hospitals for treatment. A female polio worker was also injured after she was hit by a stone thrown by one of the protesters .
Though the number of protesters was less than 2,000 at the sit-in venue in the preceding days but authorities hesitated to act against them fearing a reprisal as they had vowed to die for their cause.
A source told The Nation that a group of mob climbed the Metro Bus Station in Shamasabad and damaged it when CPO Israr Abbasi and Rangers high-ups had invited them for negotiations. However, the meeting met with failure and the mob attacked the law enforcers and injured CPO Israr Abbasi, SP Syed Ali and others.
“The protesters were very charged and they attacked the police party with nail-laden sticks,” said a cop on condition of anonymity. He said as many as 35 cops were injured. He said the Rangers personnel did not react to save the policemen from the attack of the charged protesters .
As the police had not put up barricades on Murree Road, small and big groups of protesters kept taking out rallies attacking police personnel deployed at various venues leading to Faizabad. The irate mob set ablaze seven prison and three mobile vans of police and four other vehicles, three motorcycles and a DSNG of a private TV channel on Murree Road.
Meanwhile, some critics lashed out at the district administrations and police bosses of twin cities for launching the operation without proper planning that allowed a handful of protesters to overpower more than 8,500 riot gear police, Rangers and FC personnel.
The protesters and their supporters also blocked roads in the twin cities, GT Road, Islamabad-Motorway to traffic that multiplied the miseries of commuters and motorists.
Meanwhile, in Taxila, a group of protesters torn down banners of Nisar and MPA Umer Farooq and chanted slogans against them. Scores of lawyers led by DBA President Sajjad Akbar Abbasi blocked Katcheri Chowk to condemn the use of force against the TLYRAP protesters . Similarly, mobs blocked Chakri Interchange, GT Road at T Chowk Rawat, Adiala Road, Dheri Hassanabad, Bakra Mandi, Kohinoor Mill on Peshawar Road, Tarnol, Koral Chowk, Dhoke Kala Khan, Dhoek Sohan, Tarambri Chowk and Rawal Chowk. They demanded of the government to stop using the force against the Faizabad protestors.
Addressing his supporters late in the night, Khadim Hussain Rizvi announced that the sit-in will continue and now they demand resignation of the whole federal cabinet.
Law Minister Zahid Hamid’s residence in Sialkot was also attacked by supporters of religious parties.
BBN/MMI/ANS