By India Today World Desk: Imran Khan and his supporters are “no less than terrorists”, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, as he vowed action against those who damaged state properties and stormed the residences of senior Army officers.
“Imran Khan Niazi and his mob are no less than any terrorist or anti-state groups. What the external enemy could not do for decades, was done by Imran Niazi and his mob. The punishment for the actions by all those who were a part of this mayhem will be exemplary. The law will take them all in its custody and the protesters will be punished as per law and the constitution,” Sharif said, addressing the media in Lahore.
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“The site of burnt corps commander house breaks the heart. These terrorist mobs attacked monuments, residences, offices and camps of those officials who have laid their lives and compromised for the safety of this country. I have directed that all those who have planned, executed and masterminded these terrorist attacks should not be spared. They all should be arrested and cases against them should be heard in anti-terrorism courts. There should be no other way of handling this situation as it’s a matter of ‘do or die’,” he said.
The prime minister gave 72 hours to the caretaker chief minister of Punjab and authorities to identity the culprits and arrest them all.
Sharif also lashed out at his predecessor for his remarks on the army chief, calling the statements “a reflection of a diseased and obsessive mindset”.
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“Imran Niazi’s statement about the army chief is a reflection of his diseased and obsessive mindset. As DG ISI, General Asim Munir unearthed the corruption syndicate of Niazi and that is why he has been maligning the COAS from Day 1. It is also his admission of masterminding the tragic and disgraceful incidents of terrorism undertaken by the PTI goons at his behest. The desecration of the martyrs’ monuments and the attack on the national installations represent an unimaginable low in our politics. The nation stands behind its armed forces and will thwart any nefarious attempts at undermining them,” Sharif said in a tweet earlier today.
Pakistan has been witnessing massive violence, arson and chaos since former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested by armed paramilitary forces from the premises of the Islamabad High Court on May 9. Khan’s supporters took to the streets across the country, setting vehicles and buildings on fire, storming the residences of army officials, blocking highways and attacking the police and other authorities with stones.
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