ISLAMABAD -  Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Thursday said that army could be called in to protect important government installations in the federal capital on the eve of November 30 rally of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

While talking to media after addressing the passing-out parade ceremony of ASPs here, the minister said that Article 245 of the Constitution was already in force in Islamabad. The government had handed over security of governments installations at the Constitution Avenue to the army under Article 245 ahead of the sits-ins of PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in the mid of August and the army was withdrawn on November 18.

“We will not allow the protestors to enter the Red Zone and nobody will be allowed to take law into his hands,” the minister stressed. Nisar said that PTI had sought permission from the district administration to hold its rally at D-Chowk. “We will decide tomorrow whether to allow it to hold the rally at its proposed place or not,” he said. The announcement of the minister came during some media reports that the government and PTI had reached an understanding to hold the rally in the restricted Red Zone of the capital.

According to official sources, Ministry of Interior had given permission to PTI to hold rally at D-Chowk, however, the district administration would sign an agreement with the protesting party and get certain assurance from it.

The ministry had announced a press conference of interior minister today and according to official sources, the minister would announce that permission had been given to PTI but with some assurances.

The interior minister while talking to reporters claimed more than Rs1 billion had been spent on security related expenditures of law enforcement agencies performing duties in Islamabad during the ongoing sit-ins.

Earlier, speaking at passing out ceremony of ASPs at National Police Academy (NPA), he said those involved in 9/11 terrorist attack in United States were not Pakistanis, but Pakistan had to suffer a lot due to the war on terror. He said implementation on various points of the internal security policy had started and various terrorism attempts had been foiled as a result of effective strategy.