Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday assailed the PTI, stating the party’s “attempts” at disrespecting the country’s dignity under the guise of political disagreement were “unacceptable”.
The comments come a day after Kasim Khan, the son of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, raised his father’s case at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), saying that the former prime minister’s treatment by authorities violated international human rights conventions as well as commitments made under the GSP+ framework.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the minister held that “while it was every political party’s right to engage in criticism, the country’s dignity should not be put at stake”.
He noted that an “unfortunate development” was seen in Geneva a day earlier, referring to Kasim’s speech at the UNHCR.
“No political leader is bigger than Pakistan,” Tarar said, assailing the PTI for not putting “national interest first”.
“The mockery of the country by the political opposition is unacceptable,” he said.
“Every country globally considers Pakistan relevant, while on the other hand, a political party which functions as a cult [..] and engages in anti-state propaganda,” Tarar said.
The minister also recalled that the PTI had attempted to “sabotage” the country’s affairs before.
He said it was the same party which “wrote letters to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and appealed that Pakistan should not be given a bailout package in 2022”.
“They thought their leader was bigger than Pakistan,” he said, adding that the party leadership had also attempted to cast doubt over Pakistan’s GSP+ status in 2024.
Speaking about the issue of the former premier’s sons’ visas, the minister said, “We decided that we will welcome the sons of Imran Ahmed Niazi to Pakistan with an open heart, but make use of the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop)”.
“Why did we do that? Because you should come here as Pakistani citizens,” he said.
“If you are a Pakistani, then would it not be better for you to use your Nicop, rather than making up stories on how they might be arrested,” he said.
“We said we would welcome you, but we were aware of your nefarious designs,” he added.
Referring to Kasim’s speech, the minister maintained that “it was not a one-off incident – wish he had done it without a paper in his hand, however, but that is okay, they are kids”.
“Someone must have written it for him,” he added.
Tarar, in response to a question, also said that the opposition PTI did not “exist” as a political party in the parliament.
“PTI does not exist as a political party, there is no PTI in parliament,” he said, adding that while there were “some seats of the Sunni Ittehad Council and some independent members, PTI as a political party does not exist as per the current laws of the constitution of Pakistan”.
In the 2024 General Elections, several PTI-backed candidates joined the SIC after they won the Feb 8 elections as their party was deprived of its electoral symbol ‘bat’ in a SC ruling.