Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf led government considering various options to handle the ‘Azadi March’ of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) that will start on October 26th.
Sources revealed that Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a consultative meeting which was attended by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Defence Minister Pervez Khatak, former minister Asad Umar, Special Assistant to PM Naeemul Haq and other leaders.
PM took suggestions from party senior leaders to tackle the march and sit-in in Islamabad. It was decided in the meeting that in the first phase, JUI-F leadership will be contacted and for this Defence Minister Pervez Khatak had been given the task to meet with JUI-F leaders. Khatak will try to convince them to postpone the march due to the current situation and Kashmir issue. If JUI-F will not agree then they will be offered a specific place at federal capital for sit-in and they will not be allowed to enter in the red zone.
According to the reports, the government will take stern actions if protesters will enter in red zones or they will block the roads, attack on state buildings and for this Rangers, FC and Punjab police may be deployed for the help of Islamabad police.
The federal government didn’t want to stop ‘Azadi March’ but sit-in could affect the civic life of capital people, sources told.
It was also disclosed that some party leaders also had a meeting with high officials of the national security agency and discussed ways and means to maintain the law and order situation in the country, especially in Islamabad.
On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples Party offered Fazalur Rehman to start the march from Sindh and Balochistan and they assured that complete security and cooperation will be provided to them while Fazal had decided to start march from KP and still was not ready to consider the other options.
