Pakistan: Opposition accuses Imran Khan of coercive measures ahead of no-trust vote

The use of force by deploying a heavy contingent of police commandos and the anti-terrorist force to expel volunteers of Ansarul Islam from Parliament Lodges shows how the Imran Khan government has now resorted to violence to suppress opponents, reported local media.

Notably, Islamabad Police on Thursday night stormed Parliament Lodges and made 19 arrests including key Opposition members of the National Assembly after members of Ansarul Islam, a uniformed volunteer force set up to protect the leadership of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), entered the Parliament Lodges in large numbers, reported the Dawn newspaper.

The police commandos broke into the suite of JUI leader Salahuddin Ayubi and arrested activists of Ansarul Islam, dragged them out of the room, shifted them to the police prisoner vans and took them to an unknown place.

With Prime Minister Imran Khan issuing warnings of dire consequences for leadership of Opposition parties after the introduction of a no-confidence motion against him, it is not surprising that the JUI-F brought volunteers to their Parliamentary residences, said the media reports, adding that resorting to violence by turning the official residences into a battlefield for hours shows the ire of the government over the no-trust motion moved against it.

The situation could have easily been diffused by involving the National Assembly Speaker, who is supposed to ensure that no one is forcibly stopped from casting their votes. However, the government does not seem to want to settle down things, according to the media outlet.

The tensions are further aggravated by warnings from Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid that the government would not let anyone take the law into their own hands.

Also, the ruling party planning a public meeting near National Assembly a day before the no-confidence vote shows that Imran Khan has decided to first fight the no-trust motion outside the House as his grip on his legislators has loosened.

Any further violence by the government, in case the situation is not in its favour, will solidify the popular belief that politicians cannot think beyond power and self-interest in Pakistan, added the media reports.

Notably, this comes amid growing discontent against the Imran Khan government, with Pakistan's main Opposition parties moving a no-confidence motion against the Pakistan PM in the National Assembly.

(ANI)