Attacks on GHQ & military installations are not politics: Saad Rafique

LAHORE, May 28 (SABAH): Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Muhammad Saad Rafique says general elections will be held in the country simultaneously after completion of constitutional term of National Assembly. He said that the senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership was present outside the Jinnah House and PTI ticket holders were present inside the Jinnah House at the time of attack. Saad Rafique said that he is unaware that ban is being imposed on PTI. He said that no new law is being formed to try the perpetrators of attacks on military installations, adding that military act is present from 1952 and it was modified in 1997. He said that the appeal against the punishment could be filed first with army chief, second in high court and third in Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Talking to newsmen after visiting the Jinnah House in Lahore on Sunday, Saad Rafique said attacks on General Headquarters (GHQ) and military installations are not politics. He said that incident of 9th May disgraced the honour of Jinnah House.

The Minister said that the main work of leadership is to guide youth towards the right path and not to pollute their minds with violence tendency. He demanded PTI for public apology for attacking military installations and public property. He said that such heinous attacks are in tolerable.

Khawaja Saad Rafique made it clear that there is no way possible for talks with the PTI, especially after the vandalisation of military installations. “Imran Khan has formed a committee,” Saad Rafique said. “Who will talk to them? No one. This is no situation to hold talks.”

The railway’s minister claimed that former prime minister Imran Khan had told his team to end the talks with the government, which were held on the orders of the Supreme Court last months. He told the reporters to also question the politicians that were representing the PTI in talks about the matter.

“There is an agenda for talks and there is a situation created for talks to take place,” he said. “Their team was doing a reasonable talk and matters were decided but to no avail”.

Khawaja Saad Rafique urged Imran Khan and the entire PTI leadership to accept their mistake and apologise to the whole nation over the May 9 riots. “They should do release a public apology,” the PML-N minister said, emphasising that what PTI did does not fall under the garb of politics. Saad Rafique said the “rioters” and their approach was shameless.

He alleged that the PTI leadership and ticket holders were involved in the arson despite knowing about the sanctity of the installation. “This fire did not erupt because of petrol or matchbox, but chemicals.”

The railways minister also claimed that “Imran Khan poisoned the minds of the youth and sowed the seeds of hatred in their minds for years”.

Khawaja Saad Rafique termed the protests of May 9, which erupted following the arrest of Imran Khan, as a disheartening event. The PML-N leader lamented damages to valuable things “preserved” at Jinnah House including Quaid-e-Azam’s room, his writing table, and handwritten notes.