ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry Friday submitted to the Senate details of expenditure incurred on security for protests, sit-ins and rallies in the federal capital during the past five years, showing the most was spent on PTI’s sit-in of 2014.
During the Senate session headed by Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, the Interior Ministry submitted its written response, stating Rs 755.9 million were spent on security arrangements during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s marathon sit-in in Islamabad in 2014. The 2014 sit-in lasted for 126 days, which started on August 14 that year with a march from Lahore to Islamabad to protest the results of 2013 general elections. During the sit-in, PTI was joined by Pakistan Awami Tehreek for some time. Both the parties and their workers also marched to the capital’s red zone. However, the sit-in was called off in December 2014 following the Army Public School, Peshawar attack.
The expenditure on security arrangements for 2014 sit-in was part of the total of Rs 1.145 billion spent on Islamabad Police for major sit-ins, protests and rallies during the past five years.
The next big amount – Rs210 million – was spend on the security for PTI’s 2016 lockdown.
PTI Chairperson Imran Khan had announced of causing Islamabad to close down on November 2, 2016 if the Supreme Court did not start a probe against the Sharif family for their name in the Panama Papers. The days leading to November 2 saw containers blocking roads in the federal capital. However, the decision was taken back following Supreme Court’s announcement of forming a judicial commission to probe the allegations against the Sharifs. In 2017, religious groups carried out a sit-in at Faizabad Interchange, which lies in the middle of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, against the controversial amendment to the Finality of Prohphethood clause in the declaration for elected candidates taking oath. The groups demanded resignation of then law minister, Zahid Hamid, as they said it was him who made amendments to the declaration. However, the sit-in was called off following negotiations with the authorities in Islamabad. To avoid any untoward incident during the sit-in, the government spent Rs 133.8 million.
Meanwhile, the demonstration on which Rs 33.2 million were spend was led by PAT chief Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri. Besides the political protests, a sum of Rs12.6 million was spent on rally by parties against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Published in Daily Times, February 17th 2018.
