Ministers castigate PTI for its “slanderous institutions”; approves ISPR statements on ex-PM
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/KARACHI:
A day after the PTI responded to a press conference by the top military spokesperson who described former Prime Minister Imran Khan as a “narcissist” and “mentally ill”, leaders of different parties in the ruling coalition slammed the PTI for its alleged “anti-state narrative”.
Speaking to
Iqbal, who belongs to the PML-N, said political differences are part of any democracy – but when politics crosses the line between constructing an anti-state narrative, deliberate disinformation and attacks on the integrity of the armed forces, it threatens the stability, security and unity of the country.
Iqbal added that no leader has the right to use divisive rhetoric for personal gain to the detriment of Pakistan’s national security. He said that Pakistan Army is a professional, disciplined and patriotic institution which forms the shield of this nation from fighting terrorism to defending territorial sovereignty.
“Attempting to malign the armed forces or create discord between the people and their defenders only serves the agenda of Pakistan’s enemies,” he said, adding that he “strongly condemns Imran’s “continued policy of hatred, distortion and incitement against the state and state institutions.”
Speaking at a press conference at his residence in Rawalpindi, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi said any campaign against the army was intolerable for any Pakistani. “Those who only understand force cannot be convinced by words,” he said.
He said there was no longer any justification for allowing a meeting between Imran Khan, detained at Adiala jail, and his party leaders as Imran’s narrative is an attack on the state. He said the decision on whether the governor’s rule will be imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be taken later.
“Today, a deliberate conspiracy is pushing the country toward destabilization. The same people who were tools in the past are being used,” he said.
According to him, India and Afghanistan have become very hostile to Pakistan. He claimed that Afghanistan, which previously operated in secret, now openly supports various organizations.
“The founder’s sisters and children are present in the Indian media,” he said, adding: “They are asking why he was declared mentally unstable. We are saying the decision is correct.”
Addressing PML-N workers in Lahore, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also declared Imran Khan “mentally unstable”. He said that PTI people put Imran Khan before anything else. “We reject and condemn such thinking, because if Pakistan is not there, then nothing matters.”
Tarar said the PTI had been ruling Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for 12-and-a-half years but had failed to complete even a single major development project in the province.
He said the provincial government has turned KP into ruins and could not even build a hospital in its own province – while the PML-N has built big projects in Punjab, including a forensic laboratory and many development works.
Tarar added that the videos of the attack on the corps commander’s house on May 9, 2023 clearly show that women belonging to the PTI were present during the assault.
“They carried out actions aimed at weakening our army to a point that even our enemies could not reach,” he said. He accused the PTI government of cowardice for never raising its voice against India and said PTI social media accounts were involved in misleading propaganda against state institutions.
The MQM-P leadership also criticized the PTI for “deviating from the political path and resorting to street politics to cause instability in the country”.
“The PTI continued its policy of leveling allegations and instead of choosing the right forum to respond to these allegations, it used it to create political instability in the country,” MQM-P President Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said at a press conference in Karachi.
“During this period, when all parliamentarians from both sides should have stood with the armed forces, the leadership of the armed forces and the political leadership of the country, a campaign has been launched over the last two days, giving way to fear that foreign elements may be involved in all this,” he said.
Siddiqui added that all political parties may have different views and even different dreams about the future of Pakistan, “but whenever the country finds itself in crisis, all political parties seem to be united.”
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, who belongs to the PPP, condemned “elements spreading false narratives against Pakistani armed forces” during a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday.
According to Bugti, some political parties spread anti-state propaganda, while the children of their own leaders study abroad. “Our state is more important than politics. We must abandon speeches that seek to weaken the state,” he said.
