‘Influencers’ backing PTI from abroad only interested in making dollars: Marwat

KARACHI: MNA Sher Afzal Marwat, who was recently expelled from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has stated that social media influencers supporting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf are only interested in making dollars.

Talking at a talk show on a private news channel, he said influencers like Imran Riaz Khan would call others to join protests but they themselves never attended them. He said such influencers had now settled abroad where they were earning dollars through false propaganda on social media.

Marwat stated that such influencers had been disseminating fake news such as Imran Khan was not getting food in jail or he was suffering from an ear infection to create unrest in the party; whereas, in reality, the PTI founder was healthy.

He also criticised such elements for using abusive words and calling others Ghaddar (traitors). He said such abusive behaviour from social media activists had damaged the PTI.

Marwat said such influencers not only abused institutions but even PTI leaders were not safe from their offensive language. He lamented that PTI leaders like Ali Amin, Asad Qaiser, Shandana Gulzar and Ali Muhammad Khan had also become targets of their abuse.

Such abusive behaviour had become uncontrollable and now even the PTI founder was unable to correct it, the estranged leader remarked.

When asked whether the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam would participate in the grand protest after Eid announced by the PTI, Marwat said he was not seeing any protest happening.

He conceded internal rifts within the PTI and added that leaders like him who could bravely lead the people and persuade them to take to the streets had been sidelined.

He said Ali Amin had to take care of many other things and added that he did not expect any protest from the leaders who were currently close to the PTI founder.