Interruption of Rs6 billion due to mayhem on May 9 The police head in the province of Punjab has said that 2,135 persons have been identified and arrested for violent crimes across the province.
After the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on May 9, unrest erupted in several cities, including Lahore, and caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi indicated on Sunday that the loss from the riots was estimated to be above Rs6 billion.
Naqvi told the press that the arson, looting, and ransacking that took place in the 23 buildings in Punjab were all part of a well-planned operation.
He further said that private and public buildings, as well as police cars, were destroyed.
Fires were started in approximately 108 government and police vehicles.
Naqvi added that the home of the Lahore corps commander, as well as banks and ambulances, had been burned down.
The interim prime minister insisted there was proof that evil actors had plotted to destroy the planes at the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Base Mianwali but had ultimately failed.
He went on to say that political rhetoric was often used to justify terrorist acts.
We’re going to see these terrorism cases through to the end. He vowed that nobody innocent would be taken into custody, and that anyone culpable for the terrorists would be let off the hook.
He continued, saying he would not rest until everyone involved for the May 9 terrorist attacks was in jail.
Naqvi said that being fair to the country would require not settling these terrorism cases.
He argued that whoever replaced him as prime minister would have to “punish those responsible for this terrorism as part of their duties.”
Naqvi mentioned that a political party’s protesters had used terrorist tactics in the Cantonment area and that the demonstration had taken place at Liberty Market.
The interim prime minister went on to explain that roughly 400 thugs broke into the home of the Lahore corps commander (known as Jinnah House) and started a fire there.
About 3,400 criminals, he said, were amassing outside the Jinnah House.
He went on to say that the defense ministry was helping with the restoration, and that the building would soon be in pristine condition again.
Naqvi told the press that his government planned to punish the terrorists severely.
He repeated that the violence had been organized in advance and that all the locations that had been attacked had been on the demonstrators’ lists.
“Leaving aside all other works, all our attention is focused on ensuring their arrest,” he said.
Naqvi said that numerous violent perpetrators had been arrested and that more were on the way.
There would be no mercy afforded to anyone. We have made progress in identifying individuals responsible for planning these terrorist attacks, he said.
The interim prime minister has stated that PTI leader Dr. Yasmin Rashid should be held fully accountable for her role in the Jinnah House attack case.
He went on to say that these events marked a low point in the country’s history.
Terrorists from the TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) have attacked military facilities. The BLA [Balochistan Liberation Army] also made them a priority target. After the genuine invaders [of the Jinnah House] are caught, I assure you that action will be taken,” Naqvi pledged.
We will expedite trials in all of these cases and establish more anti-terrorism courts if necessary. He informed the press that human life is too valuable to risk.
The temporary chief minister of Punjab has pledged that the police will use all of their legal authority in the event of any subsequent attacks on public facilities or buildings.
He insisted that numerous public complaints had been lodged concerning the park’s restricted areas (or “no-go areas”).
He promised that the restricted areas would be opened up again in due time.
When asked about the Safe City project’s cameras, Naqvi indicated the hard drives had been removed from the cabin and burned.
He also mentioned that a CSD store was robbed in a planned manner and that everything inside was stolen.
The interim prime minister stated that container trucks, ambulances, fire trucks, and Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) vehicles were all targeted and burned.
He further said that two metro stations and numerous automated teller machine banks were destroyed in Rawalpindi.
He said that it will cost about Rs1 billion to rebuild and fix these facilities.
According to Naqvi, many buildings in Lahore were destroyed, including the city’s Judicial Complex, army and police checkpoints, and the General Post Office.
He further said that a group of vandals had set fire to a tower near the home of the Lahore corps commander.
The interim prime minister expressed concern over the transformation of political activists into terrorists.
In this regard, we would be briefing the Election Commission of Pakistan and sending them a letter. The Elections Board must reach a conclusion [in this matter]. The government of Punjab has offered a reward in exchange for information leading to the capture or conviction of the criminals. Our WhatsApp number is receiving information from the public. To gather more reliable data on the terrorists and anti-state elements, he urged the public to come forward.
In response to a question, Naqvi claimed that former US ambassador for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad was no longer relevant and that his tweets were no longer worthy of attention.
Khalilzad, he said, was untrustworthy because he was going after Pakistan’s military establishment. He pleaded with the federal government to intervene to stop Khalilzad from meddling in Pakistan’s internal affairs.
The caretaker chief minister announced to the media that Section 144 had been implemented in Punjab and that all public gatherings were prohibited.
He went on to say that anyone breaking it would face penal consequences.
Naqvi stated that the chief secretary would be in charge of a special commission to assess the damage to private property.
The police chief of Punjab made a public statement at the event, saying that 2,135 persons had been identified and arrested across Punjab in connection with the incident on May 9.
Amir Mir, the caretaker Information Minister for the Punjab government, was there, as were the chief secretary and information secretary.
