Sindh’s Senior Minister for Information and Transport Sharjeel Inam Memon has said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has emerged as a terrorist outfit on the Pakistani social media scene, given the way it indulges in harassment and character assassination of its political opponents.
Speaking at a press conference at the press club on Monday, he lamented that even the privacy of the personal lives of several people had been trampled upon due to smear campaigns conducted by the PTI on social media.
He alleged that Imran Khan had been actively involved in a very heinous and grave conspiracy against Pakistan. “Imran Khan’s fight is not against the Peoples Party or establishment; rather, he has the designs to bring harm to Pakistan,” Memon added.
He alleged that Khan had been the recipient of unlawful funding from Israeli and Indian lobbies before the 2018 general elections. He said Khan had come into power after “historic rigging” in the 2018 polls.
The provincial minster said the PTI had indulged in false propaganda on social media to target its opponents. He said that a false and hateful narrative had been taught to the Pakistani youth by the PTI.
He recalled that PTI founder Imran Khan, in his regime as the country’s prime minister, had offered the then army chief that he (Khan) would grant an unlimited extension in his service tenure if he (then COAS) foiled the no-confidence motion submitted by the opposition political parties.
Memon said anti-Pakistan elements that indulged in smear campaigns against Pakistani state institutions had sided with Khan. He said the PTI had hired the services of foreign lobbyists to launch a smear campaign against Pakistani state institutions.
He maintained that the constitutional and lawful method for the no-confidence motion had been adopted to oust Khan from power. He said the lawmakers belonging to the PTI had resorted to un-parliamentary and unruly conduct in the parliament during the address of President Asif Ali Zardari and oath-taking by Aseefa Bhutto Zardari. He said the PTI-backed legislators had unduly resorted to pandemonium when Aseefa had been taking the oath in the house.
Memon said the negative politics of the PTI stood for causing division and ending fraternal sentiments in Pakistani society. He said the PTI’s founder had resorted to blackmailing all the concerned quarters in Pakistani politics to regain power.
He said Khan after his ouster from power had also attempted to unduly influence the international donor agencies to stop foreign aid to Pakistan. He said the finance minister belonging to Khan’s regime had written a letter to the International Monetary Fund as part of the same anti-Pakistan campaign.
“Any ordinary person resorting to such a vicious attempt would have to face grave consequences of his actions,” he said and claimed that Khan had never been sincere with this country and its countrymen as he had pushed Pakistan onto the verge of bankruptcy.