As the opposition prepared for a protest on October 15 at D-Chowk, PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman stated on Sunday that PTI’s “worst legacy” was that it had “incessantly shrunk the space for democratic politics by resorting to extremes no one has gone to before.”
Her statement came as the PTI announced that its protests in Punjab would be stopped and that it would issue a nationwide call for party leaders and workers to gather in Islamabad on October 15 for the start of the two-day SCO summit.
The PTI has also demanded that party leaders and members of their families have immediate access to Imran Khan, the party’s founder, who is being held in Adiala Jail. Due to security concerns regarding the high-profile SCO summit, the government had previously restricted visits to prisoners at the prison until October 18.
“No one should be blamed for shaming them as the worst face of mob-led narcissism if the PTI goes ahead with its call for protest in Islamabad on the day of the SCO summit, when seven Prime Ministers are visiting. In an X post, Senator Rehman stated, “This is not politics.”
When Chinese President Xi Jinping canceled his 2014 visit due to the party’s massive anti-government demonstrations in Islamabad, she added, no one had forgotten “PTI’s violence.”
She stated, “That won’t happen again.” All of us have been detained in worse circumstances, but no one has done this.”
The former federal minister went on to say that the summit could address a lot of the PTI’s concerns. However, the party’s “worst legacy” was that it had “incessantly shrunk the space for democratic politics by resorting to extremes no one has gone to before,” the former minister said.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja questioned her awareness of the “assaults underway on PTI MNA’s homes” in response to her post.
“How can horror be depicted as a display of national beauty?” He stated, ” Let Imran Khan sahib’s personal physician see him in jail.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal had called the PTI’s call for the protest “political terrorism aimed at maligning the country and stopping its development and economic progress” the day before.
In the meantime, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated that the courts were obligated to take note of the protest call.
The governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Faisal Karim Kundi, criticized the PTI for “consistently pursuing an agenda against the country and collaborating with enemies of the state,” describing the protest as “part of a conspiracy.”
Earlier, traders and analysts urged the party’s leadership to rethink the move after expressing “grave concerns” regarding the call to protest.
The national government has sent in excess of 10,000 police and paramilitary faculty for the security of around 900 agents who will show up in Islamabad for the 23rd SCO highest point to be hung on Oct 15 and 16.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Iranian First Vice President Reza Aref, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and leaders from other member states will all be present at the SCO meeting. As a result, the security agencies are determined to prevent disruptions.
The public authority has conveyed armed force troops under Article 245 of the Constitution, to reinforce safety efforts in Islamabad from October 5 to 17. In addition, the federal government has announced a three-day holiday in the capital beginning on October 14 to ensure the protection and safety of summit attendees.
In the mean time, the Punjab government has forced Segment 144 in the Rawalpindi locale for eight days — from Oct 10 to 17 — refering to the appearance of unfamiliar dignitaries at PAF Base Nur Khan, Rawalpindi, and New Islamabad Worldwide Air terminal for the SCO Culmination.
