Fawad Chaudhry, the former federal minister in the erstwhile Imran Khan-led administration, has claimed that it will be the “worst blunder” of the ruling coalition in history if it proceeded with its decision to to disband the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari are standing on the wrong side of history, he said warning the duo against the ban on the PTI.
The former minister said this while talking to the media outside the anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Wednesday.
The former minister’s statement came after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar doubled down on the government’s decision to ban the PTI, saying the government had made up its mind to go ahead with its “principled” decision.
“[We] have consulted with the Pakistan Peoples Party with regards to the PTI ban and are currently in talks with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan […] people are strongly supporting [the idea of banning [PTI]”, Tarar said while speaking on Geo News’ programme ‘Capital Talk’ on Tuesday.
The information minister referred to the July 19 meeting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened to take the key ally into confidence over the vital decision. The coalition government has started consultations with its partners over its decision to ban the Imran Khan-founded party over its alleged involvement in anti-state activities.
The two parties decided to bring the issue to parliament for discussion after brainstorming it at the party level, and then it will be presented before the federal cabinet.
However, Fawad believed the ban would be of no effect, saying that the PTI founder had been imprisoned for nearly a year. “Did it make any difference?” he asked.
“You deprived the PTI of the election symbol of the bat. You gave them scores of symbols instead. Despite all this, people voted in favour of the PTI.”
He also ruled out the PTI’s role in the “digital terrorism”, saying it is being executed from abroad.
PTI’s Information Secretary Raoof Hasan was arrested from the party’s central secretariat in the federal capital for allegedly heading a social media cell involved in running anti-state propaganda.
Issuing its statement after Hasan’s arrest, the Islamabad police said, “The PTI digital media centre had become a centre of international disinformation, from where anti-Pakistan propaganda is run throughout the world.”
In his presser earlier this week, Inter-Services Public Relations Director-General (DG ISPR) Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said, “Digital terrorism is being done on social media. The army is standing up against terrorists and digital terrorists.”
In today’s media interaction, Chaudhry said that the PTI ban was being worked out in the federal cabinet’s meetings today, however, it would turn out to be history’s worst blunder by Nawaz and Zardari.
On this occasion, the former minister highlighted that the current dire economic situation would prompt people to “scream” in the coming days, as the government is in “direct confrontation” with the judiciary and the public.
He also demanded the government release PTI leader Raoof Hasan.
