Pakistan army to control red zone security

The security of the Red Zone, having embassies, the parliament, and important government offices in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, has been handed over to the army on Tuesday, said the Interior Minister.

The interior ministry decided to hand over the security to the army as the deadline given to the government to cross the red zone by the protesters of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) expired on Tuesday. The Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan speaking at a press conference said, “The Army will firstly guard vital installations and other than that there will be deployment that I will not explain in detail.”

The Minister further said, “The Constitution allows the Army to be deployed under Article 131 and 245 if there is an internal threat pertaining to security. We have not called the Army against any political party. It is to protect the Red Zone, which we have international obligations to fulfill. The army is undertaking a constitutional internal security responsibility.”