Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik on Monday stated that Pakistan did not benefit from the PTI “project”, arguing that it aimed to destroy the country.
In a blistering press conference on Friday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed PTI founder and ex-premier Imran Khan for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat”.
The PTI emphatically deplored the “ridiculous” remarks by the military spokesperson, saying the party founder was “not a security threat” and lamented the weakening of democracy in the country following the passage of recent constitutional amendments.
Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, the minister highlighted that during its tenure, the PTI government “ran a campaign against the country, writing to the IMF and lobbying US politicians”.
“Has the PTI taken a single beneficial step for Pakistan?” Malik asked, further questioning what development projects are underway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the party is running the provincial administration.
“When it comes to sovereignty and national security, we (PML-N) have never compromised,” he added. “There is a night and day difference between the policies of the PTI and the PML-N.”
Malik pointed out that Imran himself claimed, when he was in power, that the army chief was akin to the “father of the nation” and that nobody could speak out against him.
“Look at what Imran Khan is saying on Twitter,” he added, referring to posts against Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir.
“I can say that the youth have introspected and found that countries cannot progress on hollow words, hollow promises and pure popularity,” Malik added.
“I am not denying that there are questions around the 2024 general elections, but did Nawaz Sharif write any letters to the IMF? Was he involved in foreign lobbying?”
Later, PTI Chief Whip in the National Assembly Amir Dogar joined the programme and was asked about allegations labeling Imran a “security threat” by senior political and military leadership.
“Who is (Information Minister) Atta Tarar to say these things about us?” Dogar replied. “He is a Form 47 politician who has only 16,000 votes, and now he’s lecturing the party of the country’s legitimate leader.”
