Army commanders meet as 3 protesters killed in police firing; Imran Khan vows to fight till death
The top brass of the powerful Pakistan Army held an urgent meeting, presided by Army chief General Raheel Sharif, on Sunday night to discuss the political crisis that has engulfed the country after nightlong clashes between security forces and anti-Government demonstrators left three people dead and nearly 500 others injured.
The Army corps commanders met in Rawalpindi to take stock of the situation created by the 18-day siege of the heart of the Pakistani establishment, housing the Presidency, the National Assembly, the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister’s Office, took a turn for the worst on Saturday.
Embattled Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose ouster is the main demand of the protesters, decided to summon joint sitting of Parliament on Tuesday to discuss the political crisis, which erupted into widespread violence in the capital on Saturday night after supporters of Opposition leader Imran Khan and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri sought to storm Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s residence nearby by breaking through the police barricade. The violence continued throughout the night and subsided this morning but the stand-off continued to force Sharif’s resignation over alleged rigging during last year’s elections. The joint session of Parliament is expected to adopt another resolution for upholding the Constitution and supremacy of Parliament.
Cricketer-turned-politician Khan vowed to fight till the last breath and asked Pakistanis to rebel against the “illegal” regime, while Qadri alleged seven of his supporters were killed by security forces, but it could not be confirmed.
A security official said that the meeting called by General Sharif was initially planned for Monday but it was rescheduled due to “deteriorating internal security situation”.
Ghulam Mustafa Khan, a former army general, told Duniya TV that the commanders will discuss the entire security situation and try to conclude whether the civilian government can control it or not. “They will also decide the level of Army intervention,” he said.
The Army holds the key to resolving the impasse which has plunged the country into the worst crisis, 15 months after Sharif’s PMl-N was voted to power. A high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sharif condemned the attack on Parliament by protesters and termed it against the Constitution. “Invasion on
PM house was made despite commitment of not doing this,” said an official statement issued after the meeting.
Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said the Government remained open to negotiations to end the crisis peacefully.
“The government did not initiate the clashes. They turned violent and tried to enter sensitive government buildings, which are the symbol of the state,” Rashid was quoted by Geo News channel as saying. “They wanted their demands to be met at gunpoint but still, our doors are open for talks,” he said.
Sharif, who yesterday went to lahore with his staff, returned to the capital on Sunday.
A crowd of protesters gathered outside the office of Geo News and attacked it with stones early on Sunday. Indicating that certain forces were trying to target him, the Pakistan Premier asserted that “conspiracy” against democracy will not be tolerated.
Shipping containers were set ablaze, several vehicles torched in normally quiet Constitution Avenue following more than 15 hours of battle. Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters outside the Prime Minister’s official residence and the adjacent Parliament building. Hundreds of protesters entered the lawn of parliament but they were pushed back at the main entrance of the building where army was deployed.
After police crackdown, Khan asked Pakistanis to join him in the protest. “I request all the nation, civil servants, bureaucrats and police to rebel against this illegal government,” Khan told his supporters.
“I am prepared to die fighting for the freedom for my people,” he said, adding, “allah ya azaadi ya maut (either freedom or death)… I will sacrifice myself in fighting against the treatment meted out against my sisters, daughters and party workers.”