The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has demanded the formation of a judicial commission on the attack on its central information secretary Raoof Hassan, who was injured after unidentified people assaulted him outside the office of a news channel on Tuesday.
At a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, PTI leader Omar Ayub described the attack as terrorism and alleged that Hassan was targeted. “It was an assassination attempt.”
According to Islamabad police, Hassan was attacked with a blade and eyewitnesses stated that he was hit in the face with a blade by a “transgender person”.
The CCTV footage showed a person interacting with Hassan when he was walking towards the parking area after coming out from the TV office. Shortly, three other persons joined and they attacked him.
Ayub stated that the judicial commission should “immediately be formed” to investigate the attack.
Ayub, who is the opposition leader in the National Assembly, warned that the forms of coercion mentioned by the six Islamabad High Court judges could spread to other places.
He demanded that Hassan should get justice. While quoting party founder Imran Khan’s message, he said that the party would begin countrywide protests if such kinds of attacks were made against their party leaders.
“The impact of such demonstrations will be on the corrupt government,” the PTI leader said and rejected the first information report (FIR) registered by Islamabad police for the attack.
He also rejected the decision to release the two suspects, saying that pieces of evidence were available against them. The PTI also rejected the defamation law passed in the Punjab Assembly.
Hassan, who has been vocal about the crackdown against the party and the government’s policies, was seen sitting alongside Ayub at the presser. The left side of his face was bandaged.
While describing the “blade attack” on him as a “small incident”, the PTI information secretary said that he would get emotional if he spoke about the ordeal his party leaders faced after the May 9 riots.
“Under what law, such incidents have occurred? Who is behind these attacks? Will somebody ask them? Will they be summoned to the courtroom?” he said and sought answers for “such treatment” against the PTI.
Hassan stated that at least four people aggressively dealt with him and punched him. “They virtually pushed me towards my car. I somehow managed to get to my car and went away,” he said and alleged that it was an orchestrated attack.
“They went for my jugular. The direction of their attack was to cut my neck. I ducked and I survived,” he said and added that he would get healed.
But “some wounds” would not get healed, he said and added that the 1971 tragedy was not old. Hassan claimed that events were being operated on the same line as it was when Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman demanded his mandate.
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“The time has come that the whole nation will have to come out as it was about the survival of the state and the people’s future. They have pushed the state to a closed alley.”
“We won’t bow. We are ready to die,” Hassan said and claimed that none of the party leaders would not bow.
