The political tensions in Pakistan flared up during a television talk show when a senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader launched a sharp attack on the ruling party’s narrative of dialogue and legitimacy. PTI’s Aamir Dogar not only firmly rejected any attempt to sideline the party’s founder—the ‘Minus One’ formula—but also publicly challenged the authority of PML-N leader Atta Tarar to lecture the opposition.
During a heated exchange on a Geo News program, Aamir Dogar questioned the moral standing of the government spokesperson. “Who is Atta Tarar, who was elected with only 16,000 votes, to lecture us?” Dogar challenged, underscoring the political chasm between the two sides. He asserted that PTI has endured extreme hardships, surviving what he called “rivers of fire and blood” for the past three and a half years, vowing that such persecution would not force them to abandon their founder.
Dogar placed the party’s struggle within a historical context, pointing out that political leaders in Pakistan have long been subjected to campaigns of character assassination, citing instances where figures like Fatima Jinnah were labeled as traitors and Zulfiqar Bhutto as a security threat. He maintained that despite facing political suppression, genuine leaders always survive, asserting that the PTI founder remains the “pivot” of Pakistan’s current political landscape.
In his concluding remarks, the PTI leader leveled harsh criticism against the government, accusing them of stealing the public mandate and turning Parliament into a “rubber stamp.” He stressed that when the mandate is stolen and the public is oppressed, no nation can achieve genuine development, arguing that the rulers have failed to uphold the principles of democracy, constitution, and law.
