ISLAMABAD: The government is in contact with the political parties desirous of protecting the Constitution and the state institutions, the defence minister said late Saturday night when PTI-PAT protesters were being tear-gassed in the federal capital.
Answering questions in a TV programme, Khwaja Muhammad Asif said the army might be called in for the protection of important state buildings. He said the troops could also be called in to have the area cleared of all protesters.
However, he did not answer the question as to whether the government was also in contact with the army chief.
The minister said nobody could force the government to hold talks at gunpoint. “The talks cannot be continued in the prevailing situation”.
He said the PTI and the PAT had been testing the government’s patience for the past 15 to 20 days. The patience, he said, should not be taken as government’s weakness.
–Monitoring Desk