May 9 mayhem a wake-up call for us: PM Shehbaz

Black Day vandalism exposes wicked face of Imran Niazi: PM.

ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR     -    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vis­ited Martyrs graveyard in Rawal­pindi and laid floral wreath on Thursday. 

The prime minister was accompa­nied by Chief of Army Staff Gener­al Syed Asim Munir, minister for de­fense Khawaja Asif and minister for interior Rana Sanaullah. Both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and COAS General Syed Asim Munir laid floral wreath at Yaadgar-e-Shuhada at GHQ. 

Later, Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir held meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Shar­if at GHQ in Rawalpindi on Thurs­day Night. During the meeting with Army Chief, Prime Minister Sheh­baz Sharif reiterated that martyrs are the heroes of Pakistan and no one will be allowed to disrespect them. During the meeting profes­sional matter of Pakistan Army, internal and external security challenges including situation at eastern and western board­ers came under discussion. Var­ious IBOs, security operations against terrorism also came un­der discussion. Prime minister assured full support to make Armed Forces professionally strong so that they more effec­tively defend the motherland.

Also, Prime Minister Muham­mad Shehbaz Sharif visited Pe­shawar on Thursday and said that the vandalism and ran­sacking of the civil properties and defence installations on May 9-10 exposed the wick­ed face of Imran Niazi and the government has decided to take strict action against attack­ers, abetters and planners un­der the relevant laws. Address­ing the meeting of the leaders of different political parties at Governor House Peshawar, the Prime Minister claimed that a horde of people brought on the orders of Imran Niazi attacked the civil and defence installa­tions on May 9-10, 2023 that inflicted colossal losses. 

He said Radio Pakistan Pe­shawar’s building was burnt to ashes on May 10 by the rioters. He said that it was unfortunate that the Radio Pakistan Pesha­war building from where Paki­stan’s independence announce­ment was made on midnight of May 13-14, 1947 was also ran­sacked and put on fire by the rioters on May 10. The prime minister said the destruction of the historical archives of the national broadcaster was a great loss.

Shehbaz said that May 9 was a Black Day in the country’s his­tory due to incidents of terror­ism, vandalism and ransacking of public properties and de­fense installations that changed everything. He said that in the last 75 years history of Paki­stan, it was for the first time that military installations were attacked during a protest of a political party on May 9-10. The prime minister said at­tackers, abetters and planners of May 9-10 deserved no con­cession and strict action was being taken against them un­der the relevant anti-terror­ism laws. He said it was de­cided that elements involved in attacks on defence installa­tions would be dealt with un­der the laws authorised for se­curity institutions while cases of the ransacking of public and civil properties would be dealt with under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Prime Minister Muham­mad Shehbaz Sharif said that implementation of the decision has been started and all those found guilty would be punished accordingly.

‘A WAKE-UP CALL FOR US’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Shar­if on Thursday calling the trag­ic and heart-rending events of May 9 a wake-up call said that the nation has to identify and expose all such people who wanted to destroy the founda­tions of Pakistan.

“May 9 has drawn up a divid­ing line between the protec­tors and builders of Pakistan and those who wish to weak­en it,” the prime minister said in a tweet as the nation ob­served Youm-e-Takreem Shuha­da-e-Pakistan. The day is being observed to pay glowing trib­utes to the nation’s heroes, Gha­zis, and martyrs and express its unflinching solidarity with their families. The prime minister said that he did not see the trag­ic incidents of May 9 as merely a protest that became violent. Instead, he said the designs of those who planned them were actually very sinister. 

He said there was a clear build-up to the shameful inci­dents, as the whole nation wit­nessed in “utter disbelief and a state of shock” how the lust of some people for power made them do what was never done before. Prime Minister Sheh­baz said that by targeting, des­ecrating and destroying the monuments of Shuhada, and at­tacking the very symbols of the State, the miscreants attacked the idea & identity of Pakistan and gave the enemies of the country reasons to celebrate. 

“Our nation knows how to protect the honour of their martyrs,” he commented and said on the day, the nation re­vived and reiterated its pledge to uphold the honour and re­spect of its Shuhada. He said the essence of Pakistan’s exis­tence lies in the spiritual cov­enant between its people and the martyrs. “The creation of Pakistan is a miracle of the 20th century and its edifice stands on the sure foundation of their sacred blood. We will never be able to thank them enough,” the prime minister remarked.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Shar­if on Thursday said the ransack­ing and putting on fire of the historic Radio Pakistan Pesha­war’s building exposed the bar­baric mindsets of the attackers, who had no regard for humani­ty and national heritage. 

‘WIDESPREAD ANGER’

Addressing an event here to express solidarity with the em­ployees of Radio Pakistan and Associated Press of Pakistan at Radio Pakistan Peshawar’s building, the prime minister said that a wave of widespread anger against attackers was felt in the country after the attack.

He mentioned that people from all walks of life strong­ly condemned the assaults at the government buildings and security installations across the country on May 9 and 10. “There is no difference between the rioters of May 9-10 and the terrorists,” the prime minister said, adding that his govern­ment would ensure that such deplorable incidents never re­peat again. He vowed exempla­ry punishment to the culprits as per the law. The prime min­ister said the May 9-10 devas­tation was beyond imagination and even the enemy was not able to carry out such deplor­able incidents in the past. He said the Radio Pakistan Pesha­war was a historic station es­tablished before the indepen­dence of Pakistan in 1935. The announcement of Pakistan’s independence was also made from this station and the Radio Pakistan Lahore station at mid­night of August 13-14, 1947.

He said millions of Muslims, under the leadership of Father of the Nation Quaid e Azam Mu­hammad Ali Jinnah, rendered great sacrifices for the moth­erland, adding the violent inci­dents of May 9 and 10 put the entire in a state of grief and an­ger. The prime minister said the ransacking of the historic Radio station was against the spirit of patriotism and love for nation­al heritage. He strongly con­demned the alighting of the model of Chaghi hills construct­ed in the premises of Radio Pa­kistan Peshawar in memory of the May 28, 1998 successful nu­clear explosions that made the country’s defence impregnable. 

He recalled that the iconic structure depicted the histor­ic moment where the country’s defence was made invincible on May 28, 1998, under the leader­ship of then prime minister Mu­hammad Nawaz Sharif.

PM Sharif said that living na­tions protect their national her­itage and archive them for fu­ture generations. However, on May 10, he said, nearly 100 years old archive records of the Radio Pakistan Peshawar were burnt to ashes. He said that the archives of Suratul Qur’an pro­gramme, which remained un­harmed, was a miracle amid the vandalism carried out at the na­tional broadcaster building. He highly appreciated the bravery and courage of injured employ­ees of Radio Pakistan Peshawar Naseer and Abdullah against ri­oters and gave them compensa­tion cheques.

The prime minister also di­rected the finance minister to take immediate steps for the re­lease of the salary of Radio Pa­kistan employees through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Islamabad. He also asked the Federal Minis­ter for Information and Broad­casting to take steps for start­ing rehabilitation work on the Radio Pakistan Peshawar build­ing on an emergency basis. He reiterated that this historic ra­dio station would be rehabil­itated so that it could contin­ue to air its strong voice for the progress and prosperity of Pa­kistan. The prime minister also handed over the keys of vehicles to Radio Pakistan Peshawar on this occasion. Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that the nation would not forgive if the attack­ers of civil and defence installa­tions on May 9-10 escaped from justice. The prime minister add­ed that those involved in riot­ing and planners would be tried under the relevant sections of Anti Terrorism Act. Chairing a high-level meeting at Gover­nor House Peshawar to review the law and order situation, the prime minister also assured that no injustice would be made with those who were found not involved in subversive activity.