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Journalism of Courage
The Pakistan Army on Wednesday warned former prime minister Imran Khan’s supporters of “severe retaliation” in the wake of attacks on its installations, asserting that it will not allow anyone to take the law into their hands while describing May 9 as a “black chapter” in the country’s history.
Enraged over the arrest of their leader in a corruption case on Tuesday, the supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Khan stormed the General Headquarters of the Army.
They set the residence of the Lahore Corps Commander on fire while attacking military vehicles and installations.
“We will not allow anyone to take the law into their hands,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Army’s media wing said in a terse statement.
The ISPR said that on the one hand, these miscreants evoke the nation’s emotions for achieving their “limited and selfish objectives” and on the other hand, they deceive people, continuing to highlight the army’s importance.
“This is an example of hypocrisy,” it stated.
The military’s media wing said that “this group wearing a political cloak” has done what enemies could not do in 75 years, all “in the lust for power”.
May 9 will be remembered as a “black chapter” in history due to the protestors “targeting army property and installations” after the arrest of Khan, it said.
“The army showed patience and restraint and exercised extreme tolerance, not even caring about its reputation, in the larger interest of the country,” the statement said.
“Any further attack on the army, including all law enforcement agencies, military and state installations and properties will be severely retaliated, the responsibility of which will be on this very group that wants to push Pakistan into a civil war and has expressed it multiple times,” it said.
The Army said its “mature” response thwarted this conspiracy.
“We are well aware that behind it were orders, directives and complete pre-planning by some sinister party leadership,” it said.
It said that the facilitators, planners and political activists involved in the protests had been identified and strict action would be taken against them as per the law.
“With this situation created under nefarious planning, a heinous attempt was made to make the army give its immediate reaction, which could be used for its nefarious political purposes,” it said, adding that all these “evil elements” will now be responsible for the consequences.
The Army’s statement comes a day after paramilitary forces whisked away the PTI chief on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials who barged into a room of the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday.
An anti-corruption court on Wednesday sent the former prime minister on an eight-day physical remand to the anti-corruption watchdog.
At least seven people have died and nearly 300 others have been injured across Pakistan in the last 24 hours in violent clashes between Khan’s supporters and security forces.
