PTI social media cell trying to turn Pakistan into Sudan: Ahsan Iqbal

• Iqbal takes exception to blanket relief given to Khan by judiciary.
• Says PTI should be ashamed of its anti-state narrative, activities.
• Says no shots are fired in hybrid war as it's fought to divide institutions.
  

Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, on Sunday, slammed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) social media team for running totally baseless smear drives aimed at creating a Sudan-like situation in the country.

"PTI's social media wanted to turn the country into Sudan via its fabricated campaigns," the minister said, speaking with journalists in Narowal.

Iqbal said the party should be ashamed of its "anti-state" narrative and activities.

Referring to the Al-Qadir Trust case, the minister said the money that came from Britain was transferred to the Supreme Court's account linking it with Khan receiving bail from the judiciary following his arrest earlier this week.

The former premier was given blanket relief from the Islamabad High Court, barring authorities from arresting him in any case till Monday morning (May 15).

In the first relief, a two-member special divisional bench granted two-week bail to the former prime minister in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, and later, the court stopped authorities from arresting him till May 17 in any new case filed against him till May 9 — the day he was detained in the corruption case, which led to deadly countrywide protests.

The cricketer-turned-politician then sought transitory bail in four cases lodged against him in Lahore, in which the court awarded him bail till May 22 in the Zille Shah murder case; then, another bench also ordered authorities against apprehending the former prime minister till the morning of May 15 while hearing the bail petition filed against three terrorism cases.

The PTI chairman, Iqbal alleged, had committed embezzlement of Rs60 billion, which was exposed.

The minister went on to say that the former premier had claimed that the cabinet had given the approval for the transaction in question.

“When it is your turn to give receipts, you are crying? When it is your turn to give receipts, you burn Jinnah House," he said, censuring the PTI chief.

The minister, who is also a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) politician, added that the ousted prime minister laid the foundation of chaos in the country. He called on the PTI supporters to think well and tell what developmental work had the party done in Pakistan so far.

Continuing to criticise the former premier, Iqbal lamented on the severe crisis the country is facing today. "Through Imran Khan, the country’s economy was destroyed first.”

The PTI chief, he added, ruined every institution.

The federal minister said, "No shots are fired during a hybrid war and its target is to divide institutions".

Commenting on the dissolution of the Punjab assembly in January, Iqbal said Khan was given permission to complete the task.

Asking Khan to stop running away from accountability, the minister said: “Imran Khan, you should give answers and receipts.”

Iqbal, when talking about the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s protest in Islamabad against relief given to Khan, said the 13-party ruling coalition will stage its protest in front of the Supreme Court at 11am tomorrow (Monday).

Meanwhile, despite the protests against the discrimination towards other political groups in the country, the minister assured that the government respects Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and the Supreme Court.