The Pakistan Interior Ministry on Sunday issued a detailed statement condemning the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its violent protests that escalated from Peshawar to Islamabad’s Red Zone.

The ministry claimed that despite significant provocations, law enforcement agencies refrained from using lethal weapons to disperse the crowd, which included armed miscreants and alleged foreign mercenaries.

According to the statement, PTI protesters utilised provincial government resources to execute a violent demonstration that defied court orders and endangered public safety.

The Islamabad High Court had earlier directed authorities to maintain law and order at all costs, even suggesting that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah engage PTI leadership to ensure peaceful proceedings.

However, the PTI reportedly disregarded these directives, abandoning their agreed protest site at Sangjani and marching into Islamabad’s sensitive Red Zone.

The demonstrators were accused of wielding rifles, stun grenades, tear gas shells, and nail-studded batons, targeting police, Rangers, and other security officials.

Law enforcement under siege

In a stark escalation, the protests left three Rangers personnel and one police officer dead, while 232 security officials sustained injuries. Security forces reportedly exercised maximum restraint despite sustaining heavy attacks, including arson and targeted assaults on police vehicles.

The ministry stressed that the Pakistan Army - deployed under Article 245 of the Constitution - was stationed to safeguard critical installations and foreign delegations.

The military did not engage directly with the protesters, underscoring the government’s commitment to avoiding excessive force.

Murad Saeed and foreign hands

A claim in the ministry’s statement involved the presence of foreign mercenaries among the protesters. The ministry alleged that over three dozen foreign operatives were arrested, alongside the seizure of 39 deadly weapons, including 18 automatic firearms.

The statement further implicated fugitive PTI leader Murad Saeed in orchestrating the unrest, describing him as the direct commander of 1,500 trained miscreants.

This group allegedly executed a "militant strategy," employing provincial government machinery to clear roadblocks and enable violent factions to advance.

Economic loss

The ministry estimated the economic toll of the protests at an astonishing Rs. 192 billion per day, citing disruptions to trade, infrastructure, and public order.

Officials also noted significant damage to public property, including the destruction of law enforcement vehicles and attacks on jail vans.

Read here: Khawaja Asif dismisses PTI’s claims of deaths in protests

In addition to the tangible losses, the government accused PTI of launching a systematic propaganda campaign on social media to discredit law enforcement agencies. The ministry alleged that AI-generated content and outdated video clips were being used to fabricate claims of deaths and injuries among protesters.

Rejection of violent politics

The statement concluded with a call for national unity against what it termed "violent and divisive politics." It commended the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for rejecting such tactics and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to hold those responsible accountable under the law.

“The proud people of Pakistan stand united in their pursuit of peace and stability,” the ministry declared, while vowing to prosecute both domestic and international elements involved in inciting unrest.

The PTI leadership has yet to issue a detailed response to the allegations. However, the opposition party has previously accused the government of suppressing democratic freedoms and using heavy-handed measures against its supporters.