Nation can’t tolerate May 9 like ‘barbaric incidents’: PM

Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif expressing his resolve to bring the elements behind May 9 arson and vandalism attacks to justice, reiterated that the entire nation would not let such ‘barbaric incidents’ happen in future.

The prime minister assured that as chief executive of the country, it was his onus to ensure legal proceedings under the law and constitution, against all those rioters and miscreants who had planned, abetted and executed attacks on different civilian and military installations across the country.

The prime minister was addressing “Azmat e Shuhada Convention” held here to pay tribute to the country’s martyrs.

The convention was attended by a large number of families of shuhada, governors, members of parliament, ministers, provincial ministers, ambassadors, legislators, civil society members, ulema and senior officials.

The prime minister said that incidents of May 9 were intolerable and unpardonable as the monuments and statues of Shuhada of armed forces and law enforcing agencies were vandalized.

“We will not let it happen again and will keep the national flag high. We will not allow anyone to malign our armed forces,” he said, adding that they would bring all the perpetrators of May 9 incidents to face the law.

As the prime minister, he assured that the law would take its course, stressing that people behind the incidents would not be given any concession and would not be pardoned as ‘they had crossed the red line’.

He said, those elements also hurt sentiments of the families of shuhada. A heart wrenching spectacle was never witnessed in the past.

However, the prime minister reiterated that no innocent would be framed in these criminal cases.

Referring to the unfortunate incidents on that day, he said if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Niazi had  instigated his followers to create such a mayhem.

He said country’s history was replete with different cases of politicians. Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Shaeed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif faced  arrests and trials upon baseless allegations, but their followers never went violent and damaged the country.

The prime minister said the whole nation wanted an answer from the PTI’s leadership as to why Quaid’s House, Radio Pakistan and other buildings were ransacked and torched to ashes.

He further said even India could not achieve its nefarious designs after waging 1965 war, but the leadership of PTI and its followers inflicted huge damage to the country, adding “The nation will not forgive it.”

The prime minister said Quaid’s Pakistan existed due to the sacrifices of shuhada, they had left behind their orphan children but saved the coming generations.