Daily Times

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Friday said that the internet services in the country will remain suspended till the people who burned the houses and caused damage to public property are caught.

“Many of these vandals have been identified and their arrests might take some time, till then, the internet services will remain shut,” said the interior minister while talking to a private news channel. “There are many people who used these services legally and they are the ones losing out so we have to keep that under surveillance,” Sanaullah said.

He said that the people who caused damage to the buildings during the protests connected with each on social media.

“Their entire work is done on the internet including the planning and the abuse, all of it is done on social media,” said Sanaullah.

He also hinted at the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan after May 17, the day when his bail expires in the cases registered against him for the violent protests that took place after his May 9 arrest.

The interior minister said that what the PTI did in the last two-three days is intolerable. “The courts can facilitate them but as per the law, we will take action against their anti-state and terror activities,” said Sanaullah.

While speaking about the Supreme Court’s verdict to release Imran Khan and terming his arrest illegal, Sanaullah said that whatever has happened as of yet was “unprecedented”. He said that the facilitation being provided to this “ladla (blue-eyed boy)” should then be applied to everyone. “There is no example of such judicial decisions and means of facilitation are being invented,” said the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader.

He further said that there have been no talks about banning the PTI. Sanaullah stated that there has been no decision made yet regarding the enforcement of the emergency in Pakistan. He added that this suggestion was one of many received during a cabinet meeting.