ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar suggested on Tuesday that many leaders of the Muslim world did not have the moral courage to fight for the rights of Muslims, but Prime Minister Imran Khan was different.

He said that being a truthful, faithful, brave and confident leader, Mr Khan pleaded the Muslims’ case on Islamophobia at the international level very effectively, which compelled the UN to declare March 15 as the International Day Against Islamophobia.

Mr Umar was talking to journalists after inaugurating a camp of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) members here in Sector I-10. The PTI camp Mr Umar inaugurated has been established in connection with the party’s public meeting at the Parade Ground scheduled for March 27.

Criticising leaders of the opposition parties, the minister said they were unable to plead the Muslims’ case at the international level because their billions of rupees were stashed abroad. He said the submission of a no-confidence motion against the prime minister would serve to define the future of politics in the country.

Mr Umar claimed that a dissident PTI member, Ahmed Hussain Dehar, had announced that he was returning to the ruling party. However, Mr Dehar said in a television programme that he was not going back to the party.

When contacted, a federal minister said the government seemed to be in “real trouble” because many dissident party members might never return to it.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2022