What is done is done, don't make matters worse: Bilawal's advice to PTI

ISLAMABAD: Minister of Foreign Affairs for Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday "advised" the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan's political outfit, to call for an end to violent protests across the country after the arrest of its chairman, reported Dawn.

Bilawal, while addressing a press conference in Karachi on Thursday, said, "The only advice I can give to the PTI is that what is done is done. The ones involved in this will have to answer for it."

He also said, "Don't make matters worse. Call for an end to violent protests, declare that you will abide by the rule of law and the Constitution, accept that you will engage with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as citizens and not as terrorists so that what is done is done, [and] you don't create more difficulties for yourself."

Pakistan's foreign minister also called on the PTI to try and understand the history of Pakistan. He said, "You are not just doing this on Twitter and Facebook -- we have our own context, we have lived more than half of our history under direct martial law."

He added that it was PTI's part to decide if they wanted to "remain a political party or not." "They have to decide whether they want to do politics or take up an armed resistance against the state," he added.

In the beginning of his address, Bilawal said that the PPP had never celebrated the arrest of any politician, however, he called the allegations against Imran Khan as "very serious" and asserted that the former prime minister had been arrested "in accordance with the law."

Bilawal also said that the PTI must have responded to the arrest by praising Imran as "brave and confident" for facing the accusations. Instead, "PTI had already decided that its reaction would not be political and it would become a militant organisation," he said.

Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday outside Islamabad High Court by Pakistan Rangers on a warrant issued by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

He was dragged out of Islamabad High Court. People took to the streets, resorted to violence, arson and even raised many slogans to register their resentment against the arrest of ex-PM of Pakistan and PTI chief Imran Khan, across Pakistan including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Karachi, Quetta, Mardan, Bannu, and Chilas.

The protesting mob resorted to stone pelting on houses, offices and vehicles, burning banners and tyres and blocking roads.