ISLAMABAD: The sit-in which ended on Monday after paralysing life in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi for almost three weeks was not related to upholding of the finality of the Prophethood [Khatm-e-Nabuwwat] but a conspiracy to stir sectarianism, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday.
During his informal talks with reporters soon after addressing a press conference at the Press Information Department, the minister said the protesters were armed with weapons and some “professional protesters” took the police by surprise by launching a “tear gas attack”.
The matter of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat is already decided in the Constitution of Pakistan, the minister told reporters. The sit-in was part of an international conspiracy hatched to stir sectarian unrest in the country, he added.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > PAKISTAN Faizabad sit-in wasn't about Khatme Nabuwat, but a sectarian conspiracy: Ahsan IqbalSHARE TWEET
Faizabad sit-in wasn't about Khatme Nabuwat, but a sectarian conspiracy: Ahsan Iqbal
By Danish HussainPublished: November 29, 2017
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ISLAMABAD: The sit-in which ended on Monday after paralysing life in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi for almost three weeks was not related to upholding of the finality of the Prophethood [Khatm-e-Nabuwwat] but a conspiracy to stir sectarianism, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday.
During his informal talks with reporters soon after addressing a press conference at the Press Information Department, the minister said the protesters were armed with weapons and some “professional protesters” took the police by surprise by launching a “tear gas attack”.
The matter of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat is already decided in the Constitution of Pakistan, the minister told reporters. The sit-in was part of an international conspiracy hatched to stir sectarian unrest in the country, he added.
Deal with Tehreek-e-Labbaik ‘not desirable’, but struck out of necessity: Ahsan Iqbal
“Weapons have been recovered by police from the custody of the protesters. They [protesters] were armed with such equipment that the ordinary demonstrators usually do not carry,” the minister said.
“A police contingent cleared a significant [portion of the protest] area and reached near the centre of protest, when it faced the worst tear gassing from a gang of protesters,” he said, adding that the police were not expecting another “force” ready to attack them in the middle of the operation.
The minister said that live courage of the operation by electronic media exacerbated the situation as more protest rallies from Rawalpindi started pouring in. “It was the time the administration halted the operation just to avoid bloodshed”. He reminded that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had ordered the administration not to use firearms against the protesters.
When a reporter asked if money had been distributed among the protesters at the end of the sit-in, the interior minister, in a lighter vein, quipped he would refer this question to the director general of Rangers.
The minister strongly criticised the PTI chief, saying that he [Imran Khan] does not qualify to lead a party because of his immature politics. “The way you are doing politics you will never be able to become prime minster,” he said.
Since the first day of the PML-N government in 2013, Imran Khan has been busy hatching conspiracies and destabilising Pakistan. “You are tainting the image of Pakistan and through chaotic politics trying to scare away investors,” he said.
Talking about his Iqama claims, Iqbal said it was part of Global Advisory Committee of the Madina Institute of Leadership and Entrepreneurship, which is a non-profit institution and for that I never received a single penny. “Just to overcome frequent travelling issues I used that Iqama,” he said adding that he had all the documents which he was ready to produce before any court of law.
