PTI’s civil disobedience call rejected by KP cabinet: Tarar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar Tuesday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had tried to divide the nation and politics but today it has itself become a victim of this division.

He told a news conference here that the seeds of hatred sown by the PTI’s founder were being reaped by them today. He also maintained that the ‘civil disobedience’ movement, announced by PTI founder chairman Imran Khan, was even rejected by the members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet. It is good, the minister noted, that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and its ministers have decided not to implement the call for civil disobedience. “This is the first time that someone has given priority to national interest over political interest,” he emphasized.

Attaullah Tarar pointed out that the PTI had appealed for a boycott of the military companies’ products, but they never talked about boycotting the Israeli companies. They did not even participate in the APC on Palestine. This was a compulsion due to the Goldsmith funding, he alleged. “They (PTI) are sabotaging the domestic products that are cheap and used by common people,” he maintained.

To a question, the minister said that why everyone forgot the predictions of the late Hakeem Saeed and Dr. Israr on the Goldsmith operation. “Today, testimonies are coming to light that they want to weaken the army and other institutions, create rifts, impose Operation Goldsmith on Pakistan,” he contended.

“Do you have enough courage to confront the army? A man used to say that we are the people of confrontation, where are they? Arrangements will be made for those who spread chaos,” he warned. Tarar noted that army officers and soldiers are being martyred every day, making sacrifices for peace and that whoever weakens the army and security institutions is pedalling the propaganda of countries opposing Pakistan. He contended that only a single party wants to weaken the army so that some external forces can take advantage of it and this is all the Goldsmith agenda.

May 9 attacks, he explained, were also a part of the same conspiracy to attack the army, proving it so weak that the enemy could have an easy walk.

The federal information minister wondered if it was allowed to ridicule the defence institutions in any country in the world. “You (may) criticise us and the performance of the government,” he remarked. Tarar said the identity cards and passports of many propagandists were blocked, and the track and trace system is identifying such elements who are sitting outside and tarnishing the reputation of the country.

Tarar said the campaign of online harassment and targeting of journalists was intolerable, adding there was talk of intimidating journalists by harassing their families. “We have decided on a policy against this trend and such people will not be spared. Everyone has been identified,” he added. “We will catch such people and bring them before you as they harass the families of journalists. This is unacceptable,” he argued. “They (PTI leaders) themselves ran away from D-Chowk and the question is why they ran away and now they are targeting journalists and their families which is condemnable,” the minister insisted. To a question, Tarar said journalist Matiullah Jan has returned home and that this issue had been resolved amicably.

Regarding the issue of registration of madrassas and the stance of JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the information minister said on Monday they sat with the scholars of all schools of thought. All of them want the madrassas to be managed by the Ministry of Education, whereas Maulana Fazlur Rehman has suggested that they should be managed by the Ministry of Industries. “Madressa reforms have been going on for many years, 18,000 madrassas have been registered, but we will try to find an acceptable solution after looking at the suggestions coming from scholars and Maulana Fazlur Rehman as well,” Tarar said. “We want to bring a system in which students of madrassa can become scientists, engineers, doctors or experts in any field.”