Mohsin Naqvi warns stern action if PTI crosses 'red line'

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will not be allowed to hold protest at D-Chowk and said that the government will be forced to take stern action if the party attempts to cross the ‘red line’, ARY News reported.

Speaking to newsmen in Islamabad, the interior minister said that the Islamabad High Court had directed the government to engage in talks with the PTI, adding that the party has been allowed to hold protest in the Sangjani area.

“The government will not permit the PTI to cross the designated red line,” he added.

He warned that if the PTI attempts to cross the red line, the government will be forced to take stern action including imposing curfew. Mohsin Naqvi urged the PTI leadership to refrain from pushing the situation to a point where the government is compelled to take drastic measures.

In his presser earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Nawabi said that no negotiations were underway between the government and PTI.

He warned that anyone attempting to reach D-Chowk will face legal action. The interior minister clarified that he has not met with any PTI representatives in the Minister’s Enclave.

Mohsin Naqvi said that anyone reaching D-Chowk will be arrested, and the government will not allow them to simply come and go.

The interior minister also questioned the timing of PTI’s protest call, given the presence of international delegations in the country. He said that the message has been conveyed to the PTI and the government is still awaiting the reply.

Separately, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also denied any talks with the government. In a statement, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that if any talks do take place, the public will be informed.

The PTI chairman said that that he had met with PTI founder earlier on Monday and that consultations were underway within the party under Imran Khan’s guidance.

PTI rally led by Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur for ‘do-or-die’ protest.

According to reports, the rally led by Gandapur has entered Islamabad’s jurisdiction. Convoys from the Hazara division, DI Khan, and Balochistan merged with the CM KP-led motorcade rally at the Hakla interchange.

Bushra Bibi, the wife of the incarcerated PTI founder and other PTI top cadre are accompanying Ali Amin Gandapur. The development came after the government and PTI refuted the reports of negotiations.