ISLAMABAD – Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is hoping Imran Khan and his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will not stage a protest sit-in in the federal capital, following the Quetta carnage which left at least 61 people dead and over 100 injured.
The federal minister for finance said late on Monday he was expecting that there would be no protest sit-in in Islamabad on November 2.
اسلام آباد:توقع ہے اب دھرنا نہیں دیاجائے گا،وزیر خزانہ اسحاق ڈار
— Geo News Urdu (@geonews_urdu) October 25, 2016
Dar’s statement comes at a time when the nation is mourning dozens of Quetta attacks victims who were killed by suicide attacker on Monday night.
Death toll soars to 61 as terrorists storm police training college in Quetta
PTI, which staged a massive months-long protest sit-in in Islamabad two years ago over the issue of electoral rigging, had to cancel the show after the APS Peshawar
attack which left dead more than 141 people, including 132 schoolchildren, ranging between eight and eighteen years of age.
On Dec 17, 2014, a day after the APS massacre, PTI chairman Imran Khan announced to end their countrywide sit-in protests. “Due to the situation in the country right now, we have decided to end our protests,” PTI Chairman Imran Khan told his party supporters in Islamabad.
Imran Khan said that the decision had been made in light of the terrorist attack on a school in Peshawar and said that the country needed national unity.
Dar might be hoping for the same this year when the PTI is gearing up for Islamabad lockdown on November 2 over the issue of Panama leaks which mentioned offshore companies of ruling Sharif family.
However, Dar’s statement is likely to meet severe criticism from PTI and other opposition circles for ‘playing politics over an unfortunate tragedy’ in Balochistan.
Also, on Tuesday Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took to twitter and bashed Defence Minister Khawaja Asif to stop playing politics after the Quetta attack.
Earlier, Khawaja Asif’s tweeted: “India attacks LoC and Working Boundary. Quetta and Peshawar attacked from Afghanistan. IK preparing to attack Islamabad..Accidental coordination?”
India attacks LOC & working boundary.Quetta &Peshawar attacked frm Afghanistan. IK preparing to attack Islamabad ..Accidental coordination?
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) October 25, 2016
In response to Khawaja Asif’s tweet, Bilawal said: “Delete your tweet. Delete your account. Delete your ministry. Delete your government. Shameful to play politics now! Ignore clowns. Do your job!”
Delete your tweet. Delete your account. Delete your ministry. Delete you government. Shameful to play politics now! Ignore clowns.Do ur job! https://t.co/LrrLJJc12X
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) October 25, 2016