Lahore:
The ruling party, the Muslim League of Pakistan-Nawaz (PML-N), was hard on Pakistan Tehreek-E-insaf (PTI) on Wednesday for having jumped the meeting of the national security committee, accusing the party of playing anti-state elements.
Echoing his ally to power, the Pakistani peoples’ party (PPP) also criticized the party led by Imran Khan to “blackmail security issues” only due to the absence of his imprisoned chief of high -level security.
The PML-N information secretary, Marriyum Aurangzeb, has counted the former party in power for bowing in the high-level security group, accusing him of encouraging the anti-state elements.
The main provincial minister, whose party has held the reins at the center since 2022 and is now in his second term, held a crucial press conference to express his pain on the tragic terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express.
However, the spotlights remained on the censorship PTI – not only to jump the national security moot, but also for having questioned the performance of the security forces.
From the meeting, the alliance to power has closed the ranks in the condemnation of the PTI, accusing him of having dodged key discussions several times in order to distance the national conversation from the growing spectrum of terrorism.
The denunciation of PTI’s criticism against the armed forces and his alleged anarchist agenda, Marriyum warned that anyone who sought to spread chaos at this stage “would not be spared”.
However, when asked why the president of PML-N Nawaz Sharif did not attend the meeting, she cited her health as a reason.
Interestingly, when questioned about the fine imposed on the son of Nawaz Sharif, Hussain Nawaz, by the NCA of the United Kingdom for having been declared a vicinity of tax, she rejected him as an attempt to divert the attention of the safeguard of security.
She said financial issues on the Sharif family had already been authorized by agencies in Pakistan and abroad.
Marriyum underlined the urgent need for national unity in the fight against terrorism, declaring that terrorism does not target a single agency or a group of application of the law, but threatens the whole existence of the country.
She recalled that after the tragedy of the Army Public School (APS), the previous government of the PML-N had succeeded in united all political parties to establish a national story for a lasting peace. On the other hand, she accused PTI of sowing divisions on national security issues and not demonstrating unity in war against terrorism.
Marriyum allegedly alleged that PTI representatives had repeatedly avoided the meetings of the national security parliamentarian committee, although national security is a question of national concern rather than partisan policy.
“Sing on security problems”
Meanwhile, in an article on the social media platform ‘X’, Senator Irfan Siddiqui also criticized PTI’s decision to boycott the security group, saying that it aligned itself perfectly with the party’s political approach.
“Only PTI could prioritize the meeting of a prisoner sentenced to formulate a strategy to combat terrorism, which cost the life of 93,000 Pakistani,” said Siddiqui.
He also pointed out that the prisoner in question – Imran Khan – never attended a single national security forum even when he was Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Central Punjab, the PPP, Hassan Murtaza, also vehemently denounced the decision of PTI to boycott the meeting on the exclusion of Imran Khan, describing it as political blackmail against national security.
“PTI blackmail on national security issues is a negation of patriotism,” said Murtaza.
He condemned this decision by saying: “Refusing to attend a crucial security meeting simply because a condemned man is not granted by parole is a shameful act.”
Murtaza stressed that Imran, even as Prime Minister, has never attended a single national security meeting. “Now, this national criminal uses blackmail on national critical issues, which is deplorable,” he added.
He stressed that Pakistan’s security and public well-being should have priority over politics.
