ISLAMABAD – Minister for Interior Affairs Chaudhry Nisar Ali on Wednesday denied making any written or verbal agreement with leaders of Islamabad’s sit-in.
“Neither there is any written agreement with demonstrators nor anyone was mandated to do so,” Nisar told media persons in Islamabad. The interior minister thanked mediators to play their role to end the protest peacefully in Islamabad. But he maintained that government was prepared to launch a crackdown on demonstrators.
Nisar also announced banning all kinds of protests in Red Zone of Islamabad. “I, as interior minister, have decided to put a ban on entry of political, religious and other groups at D-Chowk in Islamabad,” he said. “Time has come to decide whether we can allow someone to announce protests against a government and then hold the state hostage,” he said.
Nisar lamented that some people taking advantage of the massive Sunday gathering, suddenly started marching towards Islamabad’s Red Zone. “We had decided to evacuate Red Zone last night, but some respected figures from Karachi intervened and held talks,” the interior minister said.
“With the parliament’s approval, we will make physical changes in Islamabad police to prevent such invasions in future and establish the state’s writ,” he said.
The interior minister reiterated that all those protestors, who took the law into their own hands, would be prosecuted and the rest would be freed. “In Islamabad and Rawalpindi alone, 1070 people are under arrest,” he said.
