ISLAMABAD: PTI’s central information secretary, Sheikh Waqqas Akram, on Sunday claimed the party’s founder, Imran Khan, never relied on foreign intervention to secure deals, like his political rivals.

Mr Akram named President Asif Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, who he claimed had “negotiated deals” in the past to leave the country to avoid imprisonment.

The PTI leader was responding to the allegations levelled by PML-N leader Khawaja Asif and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. The former had claimed the PTI founder was an “asset” for Israel, while the latter said foreign powers were targeting Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes under the guise of supporting Mr Khan.

In a statement on Sunday, Mr Akram said the two leaders were targeting the PTI founder “to garner public attention and media coverage”.

PTI spokesperson lambasts Kh Asif, Bilawal’s accusations against ex-PM

He said Mr Khan consistently opposed foreign conspiracies and interventions.

He reminded Mr Asif that he used to call the PTI founder “Taliban Khan” and then started labelling him an “Israeli asset”.

PML-N used to call Mr Khan “a project of the army”, Mr Akram said, and asked: “By calling Khan an Israeli asset, are you trying to accuse the Pakistan Army of supporting the PTI at the behest of Israel?”

He claimed Mr Asif’s repeatedly made statements that “embarrassed Pakistan on the international stage” despite him holding key position as defence minister.

Mr Akram called the PPP chairman an “angry political child” and warned him to refrain from censuring Imran Khan, who is a “leader of international stature”.

“[President] Zardari has a history of exploiting his politically immature young son as a tool to pressure PML-N into making concessions by unleashing him to target Sharifs to gain leverage in negotiations,” Mr Akram claimed.

Mr Akram also claimed that the PTI founder’s rivals privately acknowledged that he sacrificed his comfort for Pakistan’s “greater good” and admitted the bitter truth that only “he was a political reality”.

Mr Khan is a leader of “international stature”, while his critics were “mere pawns unleashed by their masters to unnecessarily criticise him,” Mr Akram said, adding the political decline of Sharif and Zardari families was imminent.

On the coalition of PPP and PML-N, Mr Akram said this “power-hungry clique” didn’t enter the “marriage of convenience” to serve the nation’s interests but to “deliberately push Imran Khan out of the political landscape”.

“Their sinister plan ultimately backfired, as they failed miserably in their attempts to sideline him.”

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2024

Opinion

From hard to harder

From hard to harder

Instead of ‘hard state’ turning even harder, citizens deserve a state that goes soft on them in delivering democratic and development aspirations.

Editorial

Canal unrest
Updated 03 Apr, 2025

Canal unrest

With rising water scarcity in Indus system, it is crucial to move towards a consensus-driven policymaking process.
Iran-US tension
03 Apr, 2025

Iran-US tension

THE Trump administration’s threats aimed at Iran do not bode well for global peace, and unless Washington changes...
Flights to history
03 Apr, 2025

Flights to history

MOHENJODARO could have been the forgotten gold we desperately need. Instead, this 5,000-year-old well of antiquity ...
Eid amidst crises
Updated 31 Mar, 2025

Eid amidst crises

Until the Muslim world takes practical steps to end these atrocities, these besieged populations will see no joy.
Women’s rights
Updated 01 Apr, 2025

Women’s rights

Such judgements, and others directly impacting women’s rights should be given more airtime in media.
Not helping
Updated 02 Apr, 2025

Not helping

If it's committed to peace in Balochistan, the state must draw a line between militancy and legitimate protest.