Harsh punishment for 2014 sit-in could have prevented May 9: Minister

LAHORE (Monitoring Desk): Calling PTI a bunch of rogue and mischievous people, Federal Minister for Education Rana Tanvir Hussain said on Sunday that had the party leaders been penalized for attacking parliament and Pakistan Television (PTV) buildings back in 2014, incidents of violence on May 9 could have been prevented.

Addressing a function held under the auspices of PML-N in Muridke tehsil of Sheikhupura, the minister said it was Pakistan’s bad luck that the PML-N government did not take action against the PTI during the sit-in of 2014. “Those burning electricity bills and exhorting people to resort to civil disobedience can never be the country’s well-wishers,” Hussain said.

He was of the view that what happened on May 9 was unprecedented. “There is no country in the world where people attack their own country’s army,” he opined.

He called for giving tough penalties to those involved in the vandalism and arson of government and military installations on May 9.

He asked the PML-N workers to start election campaign with a new vigour. “The party supremo Nawaz Sharif will soon be amongst you and will lead the campaign,” the minister claimed.