Pakistan is intensifying its crackdown on Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party following violent protests in Islamabad that left several people dead, including four security personnel. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has authorized the pursuit of legal cases against prominent PTI figures, most notably Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who were allegedly leading the marches from Peshawar to Islamabad.
The government’s response, described as a tightening of the noose around the opposition party, comes after days of escalating chaos. Sharif, referring to the PTI as a party of “anarchists and saboteurs,” convened a high-level meeting attended by key officials, including Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, federal ministers, Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir, and senior security officials. This meeting, reported by the Pakistani news outlet Dawn, resulted in the decision to proceed with legal action against PTI leaders and workers implicated in the deaths of security personnel and the attack on the federal capital, which occurred while a Belarusian delegation was on an official visit.
To effectively address the widespread violence and identify those responsible, Prime Minister Sharif established a dedicated task force headed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. This task force, comprising key members like Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, along with security officials, will play a crucial role in investigating the events and bringing perpetrators to justice. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued a press release outlining the task force’s mandate to identify individuals involved in spreading chaos and violence, promising strict action against them.
Recognizing the need for proactive measures to prevent future disturbances, the government also announced the creation of a Federal Riot-Control Force. This newly formed force will receive professional training and necessary equipment, adhering to international standards, ensuring a better response capability to future protests. Furthermore, a Federal Forensic Lab is to be established to analyze evidence gathered from the protest sites. The decision to create this lab highlights a perceived inadequacy in the current forensic capabilities to deal with the scale of the investigation.
Prime Minister Sharif also expressed significant concern regarding the shortcomings of existing technology used for identifying perpetrators. According to Dawn, the Islamabad Safe City project, intended for surveillance, proved ineffective due to poor image quality, rendering its cameras largely incapable of facial recognition, particularly at night. This technological deficiency underscores the urgent need for upgrading surveillance systems to support effective law enforcement in the future. The government’s comprehensive response indicates a determination to not only hold those responsible for the violence accountable but also to implement preventative measures and improve technological capabilities to avoid similar incidents in the future.
