Pakistani Government Falters in Its Stance on PTI

Pakistan’s ruling party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N), on Saturday exhibited a conflicted stance towards the main opposition party, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Leaders offered peace talks while simultaneously criticizing PTI, according to a report by The Express Tribune.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar announced that the government would ban PTI and initiate proceedings against it for “treason” over the dissolution of the National Assembly during a no-confidence motion in April 2022, The Express Tribune reported.

This announcement came after the Supreme Court pronounced PTI a parliamentary party on July 12, making it eligible for reserved seats in national and regional assemblies.

Following a tough stance declared by a PML-N spokesperson, Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadiq Malik, in a press conference on Saturday, extended an offer to hold talks with PTI, The Express Tribune reported.

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A few days later, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and SAFRON Amir Muqam accused PTI of furthering a foreign agenda. He stated, “After the US resolution in favor of PTI, the bill presented in the U.S. Senate against Pakistan and China is a message for those who can see the bigger picture. It has been proven that PTI is working for a foreign agenda. PTI is working for lobbies in Pakistan and those lobbies are working for the party abroad.”

PML-N member Irfan Siddiqui urged Imran Khan to stop the blame game and confess his alleged crimes. “Admit pitting PTI against the army, attacking Rawalpindi to stop the appointment of General Asim Munir, and conspiring for a military rebellion to overthrow the army chief on May 9… show some courage and admit all your deeds, speak the complete truth if you’ve lost your nerve and can no longer bear the burden of hiding it,” Siddiqui was quoted by The Express Tribune.

Siddiqui added that Khan must admit his involvement in the May 9 riots and the attacks on over 200 military installations. “[Khan must admit to] burning air force planes, mocking the martyrs in the helicopter crash, inciting abuse against the army chief on social media, running advertisement campaigns on intercity buses abroad against the military and its chief, making videos portraying General Munir as the Yahya Khan of this era, and writing articles against the military and the chief from jail,” he said.

Later, Federal Minister for Petroleum Malik, on Saturday, denied claims of offering peace talks with PTI, stating that PML-N had already given PTI plenty of chances in the past, The Express Tribune reported.

(With ANI Inputs)

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