LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has denounced former prime minister Imran Khan for criticising the establishment on its decision to remain ‘neutral’ in the political affairs.

“The constitutional role of the ones whom Imran Niazi is criticising for being neutral, definitely requires them to remain neutral,” Hamza Shehbaz said in a statement here on Sunday.

“If they perform their constitutional duties, then Pakistan is forecast to be divided into three parts and they are taunted for remaining neutral.”

The chief minister said Imran Niazi is hatching a ‘real’ conspiracy by putting the diplomatic relations at stake through his statements for the sake of his vested interests and ego.

Recalling the PTI chairman’s election campaign for his brother-in-law Zac Goldsmith against Pakistan-origin candidate Muhammad Sadiq in the polls for London mayor, Hamza said, ‘’Imran Niazi runs the campaign of Zac Goldsmith and [Indian prime minister] Modi, while the PML-N’s leadership is blamed for being agents of Israelis and Indians.”

He held the former premier as solely responsible for three and a half years of failed foreign, economic, internal security, political and anti-poor policies.

He asked Mr Khan to refrain from putting the burden of his failures on the institutions and the masses.

He alleged that Imran Niazi violated the agreements with the IMF and caused economic destruction, while blaming the new government for the failures.

The chief minister claimed that the PTI would malign the heads of state institutions in an organised propaganda through the social media.

“We are aware that in the days to come Imran Niazi will castigate the heads of the institutions. We also know that Imran Niazi has given instructions to his social media team to run a malicious campaign against the heads of the institutions and indulge in an organised propaganda.”

But, he said, the government also knew that the PTI chairman had lost the game and the people of the country were fully aware of his “anti-Pakistan” horrific role.

“The limits Imran Niazi is transgressing out of narcissism are the cause of chaos and unrest in the country,’’ he said.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2022