Imran responsible for May 9 mutinous attacks: Pak PM

Lahore, May 17

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the roots of the mutinous attacks on the state, its symbols and sensitive installations on May 9 lay in the contents of Imran Khan's speeches over the past one year, media reports said.

In a tweet, Shehbaz Sharif said that Imran Khan has liberally deployed religious imagery to brand his political agitation as a war between truth and falsehood, Samaa TV reported.

"Imran Khan has relentlessly maligned and attacked the armed forces and the sitting Army chief and very cunningly prepared his cult with the slogans of 'Haqeeqi Azadi' aimed at inciting them for violence we witnessed on May 9," Sharif said.

"Listen to his speeches and you will get your answers," he added, Samaa TV reported.

The Prime Minister has directed the law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned to bring those involved in the incidents of vandalism, arson and violence to justice.

"At the same time, they should make sure that no innocent person gets punished," he said.

The interim Pakistan Punjab government has given a 24-hour deadline to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hand over the "30-40 terrorists who have taken refuge" at Khan's Zaman Park residence in Lahore to the police, Geo News reported.

"PTI should handover these terrorists or the law will take its course," said caretaker Information Minister Aamir Mir while addressing a press conference in Lahore.

He added that the government is aware about the presence of these "terrorists" as it has credible intelligence report.

"The intelligence report that has come is very alarming," said Mir, adding that the agencies were able to confirm the presence of the "terrorists" in Zaman Park through geo-fencing, Geo News reported.

"PTI is starting to behave like a non-state actor," said Mir.

He added that the PTI chief has been targeting the military since over a year and urged the party to hand over the "terrorists".

"The PTI leadership had planned the attack before the arrest [of Imran Khan]," said Mir.