• Marriyum flays Imran for seeking relief under amended NAB law
• Azma says rallies won’t help secure his release from jail
• PTI accuses govt of attempting to suppress Islamabad rally

LAHORE: Punjab’s senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday criticised PTI founder Imran Khan for seeking relief under the same amended National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law that he had consistently condemned, while Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari claimed the PTI was circulating fake images and videos of its Islamabad rally.

In a statement, Ms Aurangzeb referred to Mr Khan’s acquittal plea in the £190 million case and pointed out the alleged contradiction in his actions. She said that the first request for relief under the amended NAB law has come from the “May 9 criminal”, who termed the law as “the law of thieves”.

“Why did he request relief for himself?” Ms Aurangzeb questioned, labelling Mr Khan as the “Toshakhana thief” and a convict in the £190 million case.

In reference to the PTI’s public meeting in Islamabad on Sunday, Ms Aurangzeb declared that no forgiveness would be given for “plotting an attack against the state”, regardless of any rallies or protests.

‘PTI using fake images’

On the other hand, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said the PTI was circulating fake images and videos of its Islamabad rally, stressing that taking out of rallies would not help in the release of the party’s founder from jail.

She told a presser that PTI leader Dr Arif Alvi had shared footage from an Azad Kashmir rally held on Aug 14, falsely claiming it showed PTI supporters marching towards Islamabad.

She also alleged that a photo shared on Aug 28 was being misrepresented as PTI workers heading to the Sept 8 rally. “The fake party is sharing fake pictures and video clips, just like in the past,” she said.

In reply to a question, Ms Bokhari said the government was not afraid of rallies but of PTI’s malicious actions. She accused the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of using state resources, including Rescue 1122 vehicles, to shift people to the rally, describing it as “a concert at the expense of KP’s taxpayers”.

She also reiterated that all those involved in the May 9 events would be held accountable. When asked about civilians being tried in military courts, she pointed out that the PTI government had conducted at least 40 trials in military courts, questioning why the May 9 attacks should be treated any differently.

To a question about Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s criticism of the government, Ms Bokhari said the JUI-F chief was a senior political figure and she would not react to his statements.

‘Govt suppressed rally’

Separately, PTI Punjab spokesman Shaukat Basra accused the government of attempting to suppress the Islamabad rally by blocking roads but also claimed that the large turnout demonstrated public support for removing what he called a “fake government”.

Reacting to Ms Aurangzeb’s and Ms Bokhari’s criticisms, Mr Basra said that despite the government’s efforts to block all entry points to Islamabad with containers, the people had removed them and entered the city. He accused the PML-N of lacking the courage to hold similar rallies and instead banking on the events of May 9 for political mileage.

He also claimed that PTI founder Imran Khan had never sought an NRO and was enduring all hardships in jail. According to Mr Basra, the NAB law amendments ultimately served to grant NROs to the Sharif and Zardari families.

Meanwhile, in a progress report submitted by the PTI Lahore to the party’s central leadership, it was claimed that around 10,000 leaders, parliamentarians, ticket holders, office-bearers and workers from Lahore had participated in the Islamabad rally.

The report said that each ticket holder was tasked with bringing at least 150 participants to the event and that various party wings — including students’, youth’s, women’s, traders’ and minority’s wings — had been mobilised to ensure a strong presence.

The PTI also formed a legal team, led by Advocate Irfan Alvi, in anticipation of potential arrests of party workers.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2024