ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Tuesday night that all roads, internet services, and the Metro bus were restored as clean up operation brought the capital to normalcy.
“Schools will reopen from Thursday (tomorrow), while roads were cleared and sanitary workers arre at work to clear roads,” Naqvi said during a press briefing at D-Chowk in Islamabad.
He further added that internet services and the Metro bus would be operational by Wednesday (today).
On being asked about the whereabouts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, Naqvi said the two remain at large.
“We offered the PTI to shift the protest site to Sangjani,” the minister said, adding that “their acting president (referring to Bushra Bibi)” rejected PTI Founder Imran Khan’s directives and insisted on continuing the march toward D-Chowk.
He also asserted that he had consistently maintained no negotiations would be held under threats and intimidation. “They have hurled threats and caused damage of billions of rupees. Now I want to ask how many more times they want to do such things,” Naqvi remarked.
Naqvi also insisted that cases would be registered against all the central people involved in the violence during the PTI protest. Regarding the ongoing crackdown on protesters, the minister highlighted that decisive action has been planned against Afghan residents involved in recent disturbances.
“A decision has been made regarding Afghan residents, and it will be announced soon,” he added. The minister said offices of media houses had been attacked and CCTVs would be obtained wherever the damage had been done.
A short while ago, a massive crackdown on PTI protesters unfolded in Islamabad, as law enforcement launched a large-scale operation to clear key areas, including Kulsoom Plaza Chowk and the Blue Area. It was reported that all the PTI workers in the main protest convoy had dispersed, while Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur left the Blue Area in the same vehicle.
It had been reported that Bushra Bibi and Gandapur were likely to be arrested, but it transpired that they left their containers two hours ago, and since then the party leadership had not been in touch with them.
The operation, involving Rangers, ATS commandos, and approximately 1,500 personnel from Punjab and Islamabad police, resulted in the arrest of over 500 PTI workers, according to police sources. The security forces also reinstated all containers removed by protesters from Jinnah Avenue to restore blockades.
Read more: Government Restored Writ: 450 PTI Workers Held, Bushra, Gandapur, Others Escape
