ISLAMABAD: Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, denied reports of the country’s “imposition of emergency” on Friday.
“The reports circulating in the media regarding the imposition of emergency in the country are baseless,” the minister said in a news release, adding that no such decision was made at the Federal Cabinet meeting.
Before airing or publishing any story, the information minister requested the media to verify the facts.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that the federal cabinet considered declaring a state of emergency in the country in response to political turmoil following the detention of former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan.
The coalition parties proposed declaring an emergency during a session of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). Cabinet members also met to discuss the initiatives that must be taken to address the political and economic difficulties.
According to sources, the federal cabinet discussed the verdicts as well as the recommendations to extend the tenure of the assembly.
The recommendations were made in response to mounting concerns about the party’s suspected involvement in violent and harassing acts.
Khawaja Asif in case of an ’emergency’
Yesterday, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated that declaring an emergency is a constitutional option, but that martial law will not be imposed.
In response to the Supreme Court’s release decision for Imran Khan, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that there are significant variations between Imran Khan’s personal and public medical reports, as he walked in the Supreme Court hallway without a wheelchair.
He slammed PTI head Imran Khan, stating he has no clue about the violent protests, but the protestor was actually triggered by the video message he broadcast, which prompted attacks on the Corps Commander’s house and other military sites.
Khawaja Asif claimed that PTI leaders were telling employees where to go and that they were attacking major public institutions. He stated that PTI has been carrying out violence in the manner of a terrorist group since 2014.