KARACHI, November 4: After a spate of violent protests that gripped the country for an entire three days, federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday that the state will not ignore the rebellion which took place and caused damage to public property.
The federal minister’s addressed media here, a day after he said in an interview to international media that the state’s behaviour wasn’t a cure but an act of ‘firefighting’ against the riots.
“This is not a religious issue, it is an act of rebellion. No state can ignore rebellion,” said Fawad Chaudhry.
“No one should have this wrong impression that the state will let this behaviour slide,” he said, adding that they will not ignore the incendiary speeches as well.
The federal minister said that those involved will be taken to task and earlier the government only sought to resolve the issue under a strategy.
“The Constitution and law of the state were insulted, this act is hard to forgive,” said the federal minister.
Chaudhry also heavily criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party, saying some Continued on page 7
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of the lawmakers have alleged that the party takes out political vengeance.
“Due to Imran Khan, Sindh came out of ethnic politics,” said the information minister.
In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Saturday, Chaudhry said that using force against protesters was not the preferred method for the government to deal with the demonstrations.
“We had two options: either to use force, and when you use force people can be killed. That is not something a state should do… We tried negotiations and (in) negotiations you take something and you leave something,” he said.
Protests had erupted in several cities after the Supreme Court on Wednesday acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman on death row since 2010 when she was convicted on blasphemy charges. The protests paralysed routine life in major cities, causing severe road blockages in major cities and resulting in severe mobility issues for citizens.-Agencies
