Minister calls May 9 vandalism a “planned attack” on the state, and Asif supports military tribunals for the protestors responsible.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has justified the government’s decision to trial civilians in military courts, saying that their alleged attacks on public infrastructure during the May 9 rallies constitute a “act of rebellion against the state.”
On Wednesday, Asif gave an interview to Al Jazeera in which he defended the mass arrests of civilians that followed the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan. He said that military sites had been attacked on purpose.
The military offices were targeted by these individuals. Their homes were assaulted. Asif claimed in an interview on Wednesday that his people assaulted their bases and other infrastructure. They conspired to do it. This action was not unplanned. You need to grasp the seriousness of the crime and the events that led to it.
According to the Defence Minister’s reasoning, “there is going to be absolute transparency in these cases,” he told Al Jazeera. The Supreme Court is the third and last level of appeal after the army commander and the high court.
They dared to go up against the government, you know. No one would object as long as it was done in opposition to the political administration. He emphasized that while it is OK to criticize and challenge the political leadership, targeting army sites on May 9 and 10 was a particularly egregious act.
That Imran Khan “thinks his adversary is the armed forces of Pakistan and not any political party” was a comment made by Asif. You may oppose a military regime or martial rule, but not the institution itself.
