Talal Chaudhry Says PTI and JAAC Protests Coincided, Raises Security Concerns

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Sunday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march towards Islamabad was scheduled for the same day as a protest call by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Talal Chaudhry said the people of Kashmir had rejected the protest call by the proscribed committee. He said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi would soon brief the public on the reasons behind the failure of negotiations with PTI and present the relevant facts.

The minister said weapons had been brought from Afghanistan to Kashmir, alleging that a network was involved in moving weapons into Pakistan for activities in the region. Similar allegations regarding an Afghanistan-linked weapons network supplying people associated with the proscribed JAAC were previously made by Chaudhry during a September press conference.

Talal Chaudhry said the government had evidence regarding the network and that all relevant material would be presented before the courts.

He said the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa benefited politically from continued insecurity in the province. He also alleged that weapons brought from a neighbouring country were being used to create unrest in Pakistan.

The minister said security matters should not be treated as political issues and questioned PTI’s position regarding terrorist groups.

He also referred to individuals allegedly linked to the proscribed JAAC, saying some had participated in protests and that members of the committee had opened fire on security forces.

Talal Chaudhry said military action against such elements was being portrayed differently from the government’s position and stressed that the evidence would be placed before the courts.

The minister’s remarks came amid heightened political tensions surrounding PTI’s planned October 4 long march and the government’s negotiations with the opposition. Government and PTI delegations held two rounds of talks over the proposed march and the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The government has previously linked the proscribed JAAC to an alleged arms-trafficking network. Chaudhry had said in September that an intelligence-based operation had uncovered a network allegedly involving individuals in Afghanistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and AJK. The allegations and material presented at the press conference have not been independently tested in court.