LAHORE: The caretaker chief minister of Punjab has announced the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the vandalism of civil and military installations during nationwide protests that occurred following the arrest on Tuesday of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The announcement by Mohsin Naqvi was made during a visit to the head office of the Punjab Safe Cities Authority, where he reviewed the law and order situation.
At least a dozen people died in violence in the wake of Khan’s detention which has aggravated instability in the country as it grapples with a severe economic crisis and a delay to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout since November.
Khan was arrested from inside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a move that was later declared illegal, prompting supporters to storm military buildings and ransack the residence of the corps commander of Lahore.
Other state buildings and assets were also attacked and set ablaze by protesters, and the government of Shehbaz Sharif approved requests from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad to deploy troops to restore order.
The team will submit a comprehensive report to the government after completing its investigation into the developments following Khan’s arrest and subsequent release on Friday.
In addition, Naqvi, whose time in office ends Sunday, also ordered law enforcement officials to accelerate their efforts to apprehend the protesters responsible for the violent attacks, stating that geo-fencing will be used in cases related to vandalism.
All cases related to the vandalism will be tried in the anti-terrorism court. Naqvi has also directed the Public Prosecution Department to ensure that trials in these cases are conducted expeditiously in order to bring those responsible to justice.
Naqvi promised that those who attacked the residence of the Lahore corps commander, military, civil and private properties would be given exemplary punishment, and that a zero-tolerance approach had been adopted against the miscreants.
The caretaker chief minister announced that educational institutions would reopen across the province on Monday, as the law and order situation had improved.
He also instructed the relevant departments to maintain coordination in order to ensure security in the province.
The head of Punjab police, Usman Anwar, briefed the caretaker chief minister on the prevailing security situation in the country during the visit. Naqvi said that the force was on high alert to thwart the “nefarious designs of the miscreants.”
— With AFP
