ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday alleged that the man killed in an exchange of fire with security forces on Rawalpindi’s Mall Road was an active worker of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), accusing the party of “grooming” its workers with hatred and promoting a politics of violence.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Chaudhry said that the PTI could not distance itself from the incident simply by claiming that the slain man had no connection with the party.

He was responding to the PTI’s denial following Tuesday’s shooting, in which an armed man was killed after allegedly opening fire on a patrolling security team, injuring one security official.

Chaudhry claimed that the deceased was carrying a PTI flag and that his social media accounts showed that he was an active member of the party.

“The PTI was told to do politics and hold protests, but not to do politics of hatred,” Chaudhry said, arguing that when young people were exposed to hatred and political violence, they eventually expressed it in one form or another.

“Who put these things into his mind?” he asked.

The minister rejected the argument that the deceased was suffering from mental health problems, saying that even if his mental state was not stable, questions remained over his alleged association with the party.

“They are saying that his mental balance was not right. Did he attack anyone in his own home? Did he attack any PTI worker?” Chaudhry asked.

Chaudhry alleged that the roots of such incidents could be traced back to the events of May 9, 2023, when violent protests erupted across the country following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan.

“These things started on May 9,” he said, accusing PTI leaders of repeatedly filling young people’s minds with hatred through their speeches.

He described Tuesday’s shooting as a consequence of what he called the party’s political “training” of its workers.

“This is the training because of which yesterday’s incident took place,” the minister alleged.

Chaudhry also criticised Pakistanis living abroad who run YouTube channels, accusing some of them of fuelling hatred for views and financial gain.

He said that the security official injured in the shooting had been performing his duty when he came under attack.

“Is this politics?” he asked. “Is politics the name of burning things down and shutting things down?”

According to the minister, politics should instead be about public service, performance and delivering results.

“Politics should be based on work and performance. Politics cannot be about creating disorder and setting things on fire,” he said.

Chaudhry also referred to the PTI’s announcement of protests planned for September 27, saying the latest incident could be an indication of what might follow.

“When the fire of hatred is filled into the minds of workers, incidents like this happen,” he said.

He further claimed that the man had previously been present with PTI leaders at important meetings and locations.

“If his mental balance was not right, why was he not separated from the party earlier?” he asked.

Chaudhry claimed that the deceased had carried the PTI flag even during what he described as his “last mission”.

“PTI itself is minus-ing itself in this way,” he said.

The minister maintained that the investigation into the shooting was progressing and that further inquiries were under way.

He said the investigation was being conducted on a “free and fair” basis and that additional evidence would be examined before conclusions were reached.

“Stability is coming to Pakistan,” Chaudhry said.

What happened on Mall Road?

The incident occurred at around 11:15am on Tuesday, August 11, according to Rawalpindi police.

Police said that a man identified as Muhammad Hussain opened fire on a patrolling security team on Mall Road, injuring one member of the team.

Security personnel returned fire, killing the alleged attacker.

A mobile phone and other belongings were recovered from the deceased, and police said the material could provide further evidence and links relevant to the investigation.

In its initial statement, police said the suspect was affiliated with a “particular political party” without naming it.

State broadcaster PTV News, citing security sources, reported that the alleged attacker was a resident of Khyber district and an active PTI member.

According to the report, a PTI flag, bullets and weapons were allegedly recovered from his possession.

Television footage aired after the incident showed what appeared to be a red-and-green cloth, a firearm and bullets purportedly recovered from the suspect.

Police have not, however, publicly disclosed the precise nature of the alleged political links or other evidence recovered from the man’s mobile phone.

PTI rejects allegation

The PTI had strongly rejected attempts to link the party to the shooting, maintaining that it believes in peaceful political struggle and had nothing to do with terrorism or the incident.

PTI Islamabad regional president Amir Mughal said earlier that the party’s political struggle was peaceful and unarmed.

He called for all facts surrounding the shooting to be made public and accused the authorities of attempting to use the incident to malign the PTI.

Mughal rejected any portrayal of the PTI as a terrorist or anti-state organisation, saying the party’s political position was based on peaceful political activity.

He also argued that previous attempts to associate the party with violence had been rejected by voters, referring to the PTI’s electoral support in the February 8, 2024 general elections.

The competing claims have placed the alleged political affiliation of the deceased at the centre of the investigation, with the government pointing to his alleged PTI links and the party insisting that it should not be held responsible for the actions of an individual.

The government’s latest allegations go beyond the initial police statement, which confirmed the shooting, the death of the attacker and the injury to a security official but did not publicly name the political party allegedly linked to the suspect.

While the government has presented the alleged PTI affiliation as evidence of a broader pattern of political radicalisation, the PTI has demanded that the incident be investigated on the basis of evidence rather than political allegations.

The final findings of the investigation will be significant in establishing whether the deceased had an organisational relationship with the PTI, the nature of any such relationship and whether there was any connection between his alleged political activity and Tuesday’s shooting.