PTI, PPP lash out at govt over Islamabad imbroglio

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) came down hard on the government for its failure to appropriately act amid Thursday's incident when a gunman challenged its writ. Speaking outside the National Assembly, PTI senior leader Shah Mehmmod Qureshi and PPP leader Syed Naveed Qamar severally criticized the government. Qureshi said that it seemed on Thursday a leaderless government was operating in the country. He said the assembly session was adjourned on the pretext of Friday prayer so that the opposition parties could not speak on yesterday’s episode. He added tha on the one hand the government said it would take the opposition on board while chalking out national security policy while on the other it was not even ready to listen to the opposition. Speaking on the occasion, PPP leader Naveed Qamar criticized Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for his absence from the house. He said that an armed man paralyzed the government and its failure prompted PPP leader Zamurud Khan to intervene. To a question, the opposition leaders said that they were united on the matters related to national interest. The standoff began in Islamabad began around 5:30 pm on Thursday when police flagged down the car for a traffic violation in the central Jinnah Avenue neighbourhood -- less than a kilometre from the presidency and parliament buildings. The armed man later identified as Sikandar then started firing into the air, forcing markets and shops in the area to close. Crowds of onlookers gathered at a distance, as TV anchors broadcasting the incident live on air queried how police checkpoints had failed to stop an armed man from driving into the sensitive area. The standoff ended at 11:00 pm after Zamurud Khan, a leader of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party who was acting as a negotiator, jumped on the gunman and tried to disarm him. Sikandar broke free and fired at Khan, who was not injured. Police and paramilitary commandos then shot the gunman as he tried to flee, hauling him away as blood poured from his wounds. The children were unharmed.