RAWALPINDI: The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday that May 9 will be remembered as a “black chapter”, referring to the protests “targeting army property and installations” that took place after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest a day earlier.

“We will not allow anyone to take the law into their hands,” it said in a statement.

The military’s media wing said that Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court “in line with the NAB statement and law”. “Immediately after this arrest, attacks were perpetrated on the army’s properties and installations while slogans anti-army slogans were raised.”

The ISPR said that on the one hand, “these miscreants evoke the nation’s emotions for achieving their limited and selfish objectives and on the other hand, they deceive people, continuing to highlight the army’s importance”. “This is an example of hypocrisy,” it stated.

The military’s media wing said that “this group wearing a political cloak” has done what enemies could not do in 75 years, all “in the lust for power”.

“The army showed patience and restraint and exercised extreme tolerance, not even caring about its reputation, in the larger interest of the country,” it said.

“With this situation created under nefarious planning, a heinous attempt was made to make the army give its immediate reaction, which could be used for its nefarious political purposes.

“The Army’s mature response thwarted this conspiracy. We are well aware that behind it were orders, directives and complete pre-planning by some sinister party leadership,” the statement added.

The ISPR said that the facilitators, planners and political activists involved in the protests had been identified, asserting that strict action would be taken against them “as per the law and all these evil elements will now be responsible for the consequences”.

“Any further attack on the army, including all law enforcement agencies, military and state installations and properties will be severely retaliated, the responsibility of which will be on this very group that wants to push Pakistan into a civil war and has expressed it multiple times.

“No one can be allowed to incite people and take the law into their hands,” the army’s media wing added.