No single party made Pak defence invincible: PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Information Secretary Sh Waqas Akram on Wednesday said the achievement of making Pakistan’s defence impregnable was not the legacy of any single political party.

He paid glowing tribute to scientists, engineers and unsung heroes who burned midnight oil to make Pakistan’s defence invincible despite immense hurdles and international pressures.

Speaking at a news conference here, he said that on May 28, Pakistan emerged as the first nuclear power in the Islamic world and the seventh globally, and this momentous achievement sent a powerful message to the world that Pakistan is a resolute and indomitable nation. He paid a special tribute to Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, Dr Samar Mubarakmand and countless others who dedicated their lives to securing Pakistan’s sovereignty and turned the dream into a reality. “It is deeply regrettable that Dr AQ Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program, was forced to apologize on national television and PTI founder Imran Khan was the only political leader who condemned this humiliation and stood by him, for he is, was and will forever remain our national hero, a symbol of Pakistan’s pride and resilience,” he noted.

Turning to the current political and judicial situation, Waqas criticized the 26th Constitutional Amendment, calling it the burial ground of the Constitution. He declared that justice has become a rare commodity in Pakistan, as the judicial process is plagued by delays, inefficiency and a blatant disregard for constitutional principles. He lamented that the current system was stealing justice rather than merely delaying it. “The most alarming example is that we are forced to protest just to get the PTI founder’s case heard,” he said and went on to say that members of provincial and national assemblies from Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been compelled to take direct action, simply to demand a hearing for a political leader’s case.

Waqas noted that despite repeated assurances from the acting chief justice of IHC, no progress has been made so far, as the Punjab Police disregarded the court orders with complete impunity. The PTI CIS warned that Pakistan’s judiciary has become a global topic of discussion for all the wrong reasons, adding that the judiciary today appears powerless or unwilling to uphold justice. “We are not asking for special favours; we are demanding the release of our leader who is being held unjustly,” he asserted.

Reminding the nation of the PTI’s unwavering stance against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Waqas quoted the PTI founder as saying: “Modi is a shameless man; he will betray again.” He reiterated the PTI’s commitment to Pakistan, saying: “We are ready to sacrifice our wealth, our lives and even our children for this nation but unity is the need of the hour.”

However, he made it clear, “Unity is needed not just in war, but even in peace, we deserve justice, dignity and our constitutional rights.”