Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday urged PTI Chairman Imran Khan to respect the religious sentiments of the Christian community. In a statement, she said that the place on which PTI wanted to hold its public meeting in Sialkot was the property of  the Christian community and they did not allow its use for political activities.

She said that if the owners of the ground did not want to allow incompetent, inefficient, fascist, corrupt PTI to hold the rally, how could the government be blamed. “If the people are not ready to give you private property( for the public rally), what is the fault of (Interior Minister) Rana Sanaullah,” she asked.

She said that Imran Khan wanted Rana Sanaullah to forcefully arrange a meeting on private property, but he should know that the people were not slaves. “Imran Khan and his party should respect the Christian community and their religious sentiments,” she added that he should not insist on holding the rally in that place.

She said under the law, the government could not give permission to Imran for organizing a public meeting at a privately owned place. The minister said that the Christian community was unwilling to give the place for rally because they use it for their worship so the PTI leadership should not bully them and respect them.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the Christian community was protesting against the PTI’s Illegal plan to hold the rally on that ground and the government could not ignore their protest. Why was Imran Khan insisting on holding a rally in the same place by spreading religious hatred, she asked.

She asked why the PTI rejected the proposal to hold the public meeting at Government Murray College Ground or Sports Gymnasium Pasrur. She said that this was a clear manifestation that  Imran only wanted to create a scene and stage a political drama. The minister urged religious scholars from both Muslim and non-Muslim communities to convince  Imran and PTI leadership to respect the feelings of the Christian community.