Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday admonished the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for recent protest violence, accusing its leaders of causing grave economic harm to the country and directing authorities to establish anti-riot forces nationwide.
“The forces should be professionally trained and equipped with tools meeting international standards,” the premier said while chairing a review meeting on the law-and-order situation in Islamabad.
Islamabad was brought to a standstill on Monday and Tuesday when scores of PTI supporters flooded the federal capital, defying a ban by authorities.
The former ruling party’s “do-or-die” protest demanding PTI founder Imran Khan’s immediate release was shelved abruptly after law enforcement agencies (LEAs) launched a crackdown.
PTI leader Salman Akram Raja, claiming that at least 20 people lost their lives, said that the party would move courts against the government, the Ministry of Interior, and the interior minister.
Meanwhile, Islamabad’s police chief, Ali Rizvi, denied using live ammunition during the operation, saying that 600 protesters were arrested in Tuesday’s operation, bringing the total, since the protest began on Sunday, to 954.
