DI KHAN:

Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has said groups carrying weapons or sticks will not be allowed to enter Islamabad, accusing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of not holding peaceful protests.

Speaking to party workers and the media in Kohat, Tarar said the city was mourning following the recent incident and questioned the role of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi during the episode.

Tarar alleged that the chief minister was busy with political activities in Lahore instead of addressing issues in his own province.

“He has time for the politics of chaos but none for the people of his own province,” the minister said, questioning what the provincial government had done for education, healthcare and public welfare.

He also criticised the PTI-led provincial government over its performance, alleging that its focus was largely limited to social media activity.

Tarar claimed that police facilities in the province lacked even a forensic laboratory and accused the provincial government of awarding contracts to preferred individuals in exchange for kickbacks.

The federal minister alleged that new corruption records were being set in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, without providing details of the claims during his remarks.

Tarar reiterated that Islamabad would not be allowed to be shut down and said armed groups would not be permitted to advance towards the federal capital.

He also rejected the PTI’s characterization of its protests as peaceful, arguing that people carrying spiked sticks could not be considered peaceful demonstrators.