Day: May 11, 2023

ISLAMABAD:Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid was put under house arrest in the federal capital on Thursday.

A notification was issued by the office of the Chief Commissioner Islamabad. The GB provincial chief executive has been detained at the GB Islamabad House. A good number of policemen have been deployed outside the GB House to prevent any untoward situation.

The detention follows deadly unrest in the country after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, who is also chairman of the PTI. The GB CM represents the PTI in the province. The GB police were also sent to Lahore’s Zaman Park residence of the PTI chief as ‘protective shield’ to prevent his arrest.

RAWALPINDI:Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Thursday that he was depressed over worsening political situation in the country following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

“It would be better to go to jail,” the former interior minister lamented over the political turmoil that has spilled onto streets. Lashing out at the ruling coalition of 13 parties, he said their only agenda was to disqualify Mr Khan and put him in jail.

He said such tactics would not suppress the political status of the PTI chief but they were proving favourable for him. He said the government had shot itself in the foot by taking such an action against the PTI chief.

He said the ruling partners had crippled the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in order to get their cases removed. Mr Ahmed said the masses were fed up with the incompetent government as it was unable to deliver.

The AML chief said several people had lost their lives only in Lahore during confrontation between the PTI protesters and police. He said the PTI leaders, who were picked by Imran Khan for talks with the government, had been arrested on court premises. He said security was being provided to those who had looted the public money.

“Pakistan Army is a great institution and it cannot open fire on public,” he said, adding that it was injustice to damage the military’s departments. “The basic reason for violence is that the protests are being led by the public itself,” he said.

LAHORE:The piano, writing table, desk and sword of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah were also set ablaze by the miscreants on Tuesday last at Jinnah House in Lahore, said govt on Thursday.

According to the Punjab police spokesperson, these antiques had been donated by the Founder of Pakistan to the Government of Pakistan, and they had been preserved in Jinnah House as national heritage.

More than 150 policemen were injured during violent protests across Punjab. At least 63 policemen were injured in Lahore, 28 in Rawalpindi, 21 in Faisalabad, 10 in Attock, 13 in Gujranwala, five in Sialkot and six in Mianwali.

Moreover, 70 vehicles of Punjab police were set on fire, of which 17 were burnt in Lahore, three in Gujranwala, 13 in Faisalabad, five in Sialkot, 18 in Rawalpindi, two in Bhakkar and one in Attock. Over 1,650 miscreants involved in attacks and vandalizing public and private properties were arrested.