KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Pervez Elahi, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chief Mustafa Kamal among other opposition parties’ leaders have denounced the torture of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) supporters in Islamabad on Thursday evening.
Bilawal termed the action of the government a jibe at democracy and said that use of force denoted government’s fear. Pervez Elahi said that peaceful protest was every political party’s right in a democratic setting.
Qamar Zaman Kaira – former Information minister – criticised the government by claiming that Nawaz-administration has itself begun to paralyse Islamabad.
PPP leaders addressed an emergency press conference in the metropolitan in the evening after PTI workers were baton charged and detained by Islamabad police. Kaira said that though the ‘lockdown’ strategy was not the right way to go, but PTI still reserves the right to protest and further alleged the government of attempting to suppress different affairs using force.
The former minister said that the government held a key to peace in the country that it should be exercising. It was PPP’s responsibility to help both the sides, the government and the PTI reach an understanding, Kaira added. He alleged the government of being habitual of picking a fight with almost every institution.
