‘Shadows of Sit-ins and Long Marches Emerging Again,’ PM Shehbaz Warns PTI

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has warned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against launching a long march that could harm the country, saying the government has made all necessary arrangements to protect public life and property and that the law will take its course.

Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad, the prime minister said the “terrible shadows” of sit-ins and long marches were once again emerging in the country.

“We have worked very hard to put the economy back on its feet, but if anyone harms it, would that not amount to hostility toward the country?” Shehbaz Sharif asked.

He said Pakistan’s current international reputation had improved to the extent that even its critics were compelled to acknowledge the country’s progress.

“You want to damage this progress, but we will not allow that to happen, under any circumstances,” the prime minister said, adding that the state had a fundamental responsibility to protect the lives and property of its citizens.

Shehbaz said the government had always tried to engage in dialogue with seriousness and sincerity, but alleged that the other side’s sole objective had been to prevent negotiations from succeeding.

He maintained that if PTI called off its long march, the government would be willing to sit down with the party and hold talks.

The prime minister warned that the country’s fragile economy would be the first and biggest casualty of a renewed politics of sit-ins and long marches.

“We have managed to put the economy back on its feet with great difficulty,” he said, questioning whether deliberately damaging the economy and bringing the wheel of development to a halt could be considered anything other than hostility toward the country.

Earlier, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry had also endorsed the prime minister’s position, saying the door to dialogue could be opened, but certain conditions had been set.

He warned PTI not to remain under the impression that further marches would be tolerated indefinitely, saying that comprehensive political, constitutional and administrative arrangements had been made in response to the planned march.