WATCH: Pak Minister Sheikh Rasheed says ‘Govt used expired tear gas to attack govt employees in Islamabad protests’
The demonstrators, led by All Government Employees Grand Alliance, had announced that they will launch a sit-in-protest on Wednesday (February 10) at the Pakistan Secretariat until their demands were met. However, the police fired tear gas shells to disperse the protestors.
New Delhi: A video is gone viral on social media in which the Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was seen talking about attacking government employees with tear gas shells in Islamabad protests on Sunday .
Pakistani PM Imran Khan’s Cabinet, said on Sunday, “We have recently increased salaries of employees by 25%. We have also used tear gas shells against them. It’s important. The tear gas shells were lying unused for a long time. It is important that we put them to test. As such, we did a little bit of testing (on people) but don’t worry they are safe.”
Fired a little tear gas on govt employees to test it: Interior minister Sheikh Rasheed. Govt used expired tear gas and several employees were injured in Islamabad protests.
pic.twitter.com/G4dTTaRWP0— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) February 14, 2021
The Pakistan police on February 10 fired tear gas at the government employees, who were protesting to demand an increase in their salaries and pensions.
Later, people across social media erupted in anger against the Interior Minister, seeking an apology from Ahmed for his remark.
“In any other country, a statement like this would mean immediate firing of the minister and an apology from the government,” said PML-N leader Mohammad Zubair.
“Any other time or in any other country, a statement like this would mean immediate firing of the minister and an apology from the government. Nothing of the sort here. He will not only survive but blatantly defend the statement. Shameless is no word to describe,” one of the Twitter users said.
“To the fascist, douchebag interior minister Sheikh Rasheed, people suffocating to death is a joke,” tweeted filmmaker Haroon Riaz.
According to a report by Samaa TV, at least 2,000 people had gathered and planned to march towards Parliament House when the police fired tear gas to stop them.
Earlier, the federal ministers, including Rasheed, have said the government will fulfill demands of the protestors.
However, the protesters have reiterated that the government will have to issue a notification confirming the increase in their salaries.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz have backed the government employees protest.
In a tweet, Maryam had demanded the government to stop the “merciless torture” of the government employees.
“For God’s sake, stop this merciless torture…Do not make the innocent government employees suffer from tear gas, shelling and baton-charging. They are not enemies but poor Pakistanis who are asking for their rights,” she added.
(With Inputs from Agency)