Monitoring Desk: PTI followers crushed three Rangers and one Frontier Constabulary personnel to death at Srinagar highway early morning of November 26, reports Geo TV. Media reports suggest that the Federal government has called the Pakistan Army to manage the law and order situation under Article 245 of the Constitution of Pakistan. PTI marchers crossed the G-11 sector and it is almost 10 KM away from D-Chowk which is the announced destination of PTI’s leadership.
It may be mentioned that the government announced that PTI protesters would not be allowed to enter the capital city of Islamabad or cross the Attock River bridge. CM Punjab announced that there would be no negotiations with terrorists or PTI followers. Information Minister Punjab in a press conference on Monday morning said that any negotiations would encourage anti-state elements. However, PTI followers managed to cross the Attock River Bridge, and enter Islamabad and the government had to offer negotiations to PTI leaders but PTI leaders refused to accept an offer of the government of facilitation to sit near the Sangjani Inter-change.
Pakistan has been facing a complete media blockade for the last three days and the capital Islamabad and Rawalpindi, have been cut off from the rest of the country as the government closed down all entry points with cargo containers but PTI followers did not stop their march towards Islamabad and successfully forced police to retreat, with reports of violent clashes and heavy stone-pelting.
Once again the total breakdown of civil administration was seen as the civil administration of Punjab province as well as of the Federal Government failed to manage the situation. PTI attacked state installations including monuments of martyrs, military installations, and even GHQ on May 9, 2023, when the country saw the failure of civil administration and culprits were released from jails on court orders thereafter. The same situation was seen in October 2024 when PTI followers announced a march towards Islamabad from Peshawar and managed to enter the capital city when Pakistan was hosting the SCO Summit. Pakistan Army was called in by Punjab and the Federal government to manage the situation and for managing the security of foreign delegates.
According to available information, 5 Rangers, two police personnel, and one civilian have been killed so far allegedly by the PTI followers who are equipped with weapons under the protection of the provincial government of the KP government. According to security sources, more than 100 police personnel have been injured so far, many of them seriously. PTI followers also ransacked the Sangjani interchange office and took away computers and cash from the spot.
Meanwhile, the Federal government announced the closure of educational institutions for an indefinite period and public transport would remain closed in both cities. Public transport and educational institutions have been closed in twin cities since Saturday.
AlJazeera news reports:
The mass convoy of PTI supporters arrived in Islamabad and made its way to the D-Chowk, an area housing key government institutions they plan to occupy.
One of Imran Khan’s senior aides, Shaukat Yousafzai, accused Pakistani security forces of excessive violence including “firing live bullets”.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the government held talks with leaders of Khan’s PTI party to calm the situation, but discussions bore no fruit.
Sayed Zulfi Bukhari, a senior PTI leader and close Khan aide, categorically rejected that any kind of negotiations occurred.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said it would be “very easy” for the government to open fire on converging demonstrators, but added that it would exercise ‘restrain’ for the time being.
DW reports that 4,000 PTI followers including five parliamentarians have so far been arrested.
Political observers believe that PTI’s march towards Islamabad under the command of former First Lady Bushra Bibi can be considered as ‘hard launching of Bushra Bibi as supreme Leader of PTI in the absence of her jailed husband”.
Reporters from Islamabad claimed that panic could be seen among leaders of the ruling party since PTI started march from Peshawar towards Islamabad but Interior Minister Naqvi did not show any panic and had been handling the situation.
Journalists from Islamabad claim that the Federal government is facing multiple challenges including ongoing infighting between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) over the ruling formula, vandalism of PTI, and weak political cadre that has failed to counter political strategies of hawkish PTI leadership. They believe that has failed to mobilize the political cadre in KP and did not collect the support of anti-PTI parties such as ANP and JUI while banning PTM also helped PTI because a majority of PTM followers could be seen in PTI’s protests
Developing story
