Matter may get out of hand if institutions continue to be attacked: Rehman Malik

LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Rehman Malik on Saturday said that he prays the government completes its tenure but 'matters may get out of hand.'

"I pray that the government completes its tenure but if things continue the same way, and if institutions are continued to be attacked, matters may get out of hand," Malik said while addressing a press conference at a private hotel in Lahore.

Lashing at the ruling party and PPP's rival, Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), he said the government has no writ at present.

"Whatever happened in Islamabad clearly shows there is no writ of the government," Malik said, referring to the recent 22-day long sit-in by a religious party in the federal capital. 

Pakistan continues to face threats from its enemies, the Senator said. 

"The enemy wants to ignite a fire of riots in the country," he observed. "India has already said that it won't let the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project be successful."  

He also stressed that the country should remain united on the foreign and security policy.

"India does not let go of any opportunity to create problems for Pakistan but we should be thankful to God that we managed to avert a huge scheme of the enemy," Malik said. 

The federal capital was taken hostage by the members of a religious party last month, who protested against the change in the finality-of-Prophethood oath in the law when the government passed the Elections Act 2017 in November.

The change — dubbed a clerical error by the government — was immediately fixed as an amendment was passed later. 

The weeks-long protest at Faizabad Interchange was called off on Monday following the voluntary resignation of Zahid Hamid and an agreement signed between the government and protesters.

Earlier on November 28, the Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal had said that sectarian riots could have erupted if the sit-ins had continued for another 24 hours.