ISLAMABAD The government and the opposition party continued to clash on Wednesday over claims and counterclaims of deaths allegedly brought on by law enforcement operations against PTI protesters.
PTI leaders said that several of the party’s supporters had died after the party’s departure from Islamabad’s Blue Area on Tuesday night, purportedly as a result of security personnel firing on them.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja stated in a video message that almost 20 party members were killed, despite party officials saying at least six people died.
According to unverified rumors that went viral on social media and were echoed by prominent figures like Sardar Latif Khosa on television, the death toll was significantly higher.
However, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi firmly stated that the police action to disperse the protesters did not result in any fatalities.
Following a significant event, such as a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or other similar occurrence, health authorities and institutions typically release official statistics of the number of hospitalized dead and injured individuals.
However, no such lists have been released by healthcare officials this time, and the information that journalists and social media users are sharing appears to be based on anonymous reports that lack hard evidence.
Information Minister Ata Tarar always asks, “Where is the proof?” whenever the topic of protester killings is brought up in front of him.
Dawn spoke with many hospital officials who often provide the media with data, but none of them were ready to go on the record in this particular case.
Hospitals in the federal capital typically set up an information center to offer lists of the dead and injured on almost every such occasion, allowing their families and the media to obtain confirmed updates. However, hospital officials are remaining silent this time.
Government officials are asserting that there was no possibility of civilian casualties because none of the security guards on duty were carrying live ammunition.
However, this has made it possible for certain groups to disseminate false material on social media, which in certain instances has also made its way to mainstream media.
According to a rumored list of people taken to the Polyclinic hospital in Islamabad that was shared on social media and obtained by some journalists, at least two people had passed away and numerous others had been hurt.
The hospital, however, explained in a statement released Wednesday morning that it had not released any such list and that social media claims purporting to be from the hospital were fraudulent.
Dawn was informed by a leading physician in the capital who wished to remain anonymous that it was regrettable that the health ministry was not disclosing the identities of those killed or injured during the demonstration.
“In the past, we had information centers that shared information and lists with the names and ages of the sick and injured following every incident, whether it was a plane crash, a bombing in a district court, an attack on a five-star hotel, or any other event, like the Covid-19 pandemic. In the past, hospital administrators would inform reporters of the number of people killed and injured during news briefings, he said.
Dawn was informed by a health ministry official that he had no idea who would disseminate the material. Even the interior minister, he claimed, had not provided any information about the number of people killed or injured, but he was attending news conferences to share the official account.
PTI funerals and claims
PTI leader Salman Akram Raja refuted the official assertion that no one was hurt during the police operation against their party’s demonstrators in a video statement made public on Wednesday.
Mr. Raja provided specifics, stating that he had information on at least six victims: Ahmad Wali, Malik Safdar Ali, Muhammad Ilyas, Anees Satti, Mubeen Aurangzeb, and Abdul Rasheed.
He bemoaned the fact that the state was ordering hospitals to delete records of those whose bodies or injuries were reported at medical facilities in the capital, and he promised to reveal the information of additional party workers later.
Separately, on Wednesday, at least four of the individuals who were reportedly killed in the clash with the PTI protesters were buried at different locations throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Mubeen Aurangzeb, one of the men mentioned by Salman Akram Raja, was interred at UC Phalkot in Abbottabad in his hometown of Jandar Bari.
Another victim was buried in his hometown of Soban Gali at UC Sherwan. He was only known as Qadir, a father of seven who was employed as a daily wage laborer in Lahore.
Many people attended the funeral prayers, and the PTI flag was flown over their coffins.
According to sources, both individuals died from gunshot wounds, and their bodies were not subjected to a postmortem.
However, according Pakistani residents, no PTI leader showed up for the victims’ funeral in Abbottabad.
Another guy, Tariq Khan, was laid to rest in Shangla’s Martung tehsil’s Nusratkhel neighborhood. It is reported that a car ran him over.
Sardar Ali, a PTI employee in Mardan, was buried in his hometown cemetery in the Babaini neighborhood. Note that although Mr. Raja stated that a worker by the name of Malik Safdar Ali had been killed during the crackdown on demonstrators, it was unclear at first whether he was speaking of the same person.
