• Allege ‘influencers and trolls’ were hired to target institutions
• PTI rejects accusation, terms it a malicious campaign
LAHORE: The PML-N and the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) have called for action against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his party’s then Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for allegedly misusing Rs870 million state fund for hiring ‘trolls’ and ‘influencers’ for social media campaigns.
On the other hand, the PTI has termed it a “malicious propaganda campaign” against the party by the vested interest, demanding investigation against then chief minister Mahmood Khan if any wrong had been committed in this project.
Talking to journalists here on Wednesday, PML-N deputy secretary general Attaullah Tarar said: “We have details as to how the PTI KP government in 2019 hired 1,100 social media influencers and trollers to target politicians and journalists.”
He alleged that a sum of Rs870 million was spent from the national kitty for the purpose. The PTI should have used this amount from its party fund, he added.
Mr Tarar further said through these accounts, state institutions were also targeted. He demanded that action should be taken against the PTI chairman and all those involved in hiring the trollers at the expense of the state. “The PTI will be made accountable for this amount,” he asserted.
In a separate but similar media talk, IPP Information Secretary Firdous Ashiq Awan said a sum of Rs870 million was spent from the national exchequer for the projection of the PTI chairman and against the institutions.
She said there were 800 fake accounts propagating against the institutions. She said with the help of the state resources the PTI’s fake narrative was built that divided families and the nation.
She also lambasted the PTI leadership for polluting the minds of the youth with such a narrative.
Ms Awan demanded action against the PTI chairman and former KP chief minister in this regard. These propaganda campaigns were connected with Zaman Park and Banigala, she said, referring to the residences of Mr Khan in Lahore and Islamabad, respectively.
She said Imran Khan created a media cell in the KP as he had a phobia of ‘top trend’ on social media. The social media teams were used by the PTI for its political goals, she alleged.
Distanced herself
In reply to a question whether she did not know it then being part of the PTI, Ms Awan said she had distanced herself from the PTI when it started targeting the institutions.
Another IPP leader and former provincial minister in PTI government Fayyazul Hasan Chohan has claimed that he is a witness to the hiring of these trollers.
“PTI chairman used to take performance reports of its social media team from Faisal Javed, Iftikhar Durrani and Irsalan Khalid,” he said in a talk with a private TV channel.
He said the PTI leadership had come to know in 2021 that its government was being sent home, therefore, the then KP government had started hiring the trollers against the budget of annual development fund.
Mr Chohan further alleged from these accounts (800 or so) the PTI workers were incited to attack the state and military installations on May 9.
No link with hiring
Responding to these allegations, the PTI said on X (formerly Twitter) that 1,166 union councils of the KP, one social media influencer from each of them, was engaged in internship.
“The PTI had nothing to do with their hiring. The information department had also made it clear that all those influencers had no links with PTI or any particular party or mindset.”
The PTI further said if this project had any flaws, then an investigation should be initiated against then-chief minister Mahmood Khan who was also the planning minister.
The party said the caretaker government had also announced that the Federal Investigation Agency would probe the matter. “But when nothing was found in this regard, the caretakers dropped the idea,” the PTI added.
The then CM Mahmood Khan has already quit the PTI and joined the PTI-Parliamentarian led by Pervez Khattak.
Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2023
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