LAHORE: Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Sunday launched criticisms against PTI founder Imran Khan and the party’s recent rally in Islamabad.
Ms Aurangzeb condemned Khan for seeking relief under the amended National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law, which he had previously denounced. Referring to Khan’s acquittal plea in the £190 million case, Aurangzeb labeled him a “Toshakhana thief” and questioned his request for relief under the very law he had disparaged as “the law of thieves.”
Aurangzeb emphasized that there would be no leniency for those involved in “plotting an attack against the state,” regardless of their public demonstrations.
In a separate statement, Azma Bokhari accused the PTI of circulating misleading images and videos of its Islamabad rally. She claimed that PTI leader Dr Arif Alvi had shared outdated footage from an August 14 rally in Azad Kashmir, falsely presenting it as recent footage of PTI supporters heading to Islamabad. Bokhari also criticized the PTI for using images from August 28 to falsely depict attendees at the September 8 rally.
Bokhari denounced the PTI’s actions and criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for allegedly using state resources, such as Rescue 1122 vehicles, to transport people to the rally. She also reiterated that those responsible for the May 9 events would be held accountable, questioning why the current trials should be treated differently from previous ones conducted by the PTI government in military courts.
In response, PTI Punjab spokesman Shaukat Basra accused the government of attempting to suppress the rally by blocking roads. He claimed that despite these efforts, the turnout demonstrated strong public support for removing what he termed a “fake government.” Basra asserted that Khan had not sought an NRO and accused the NAB law amendments of benefiting the Sharif and Zardari families.
A PTI Lahore progress report stated that around 10,000 participants from Lahore attended the Islamabad rally, with each ticket holder responsible for bringing at least 150 people. The party also mobilized various wings and formed a legal team, led by Advocate Irfan Alvi, in anticipation of potential arrests of party workers.
