ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Sunday slammed the sisters of Imran Khan for giving an interview to Indian media.
Last week, Imran’s sisters had camped outside Adiala Jail, where the PTI founder is currently incarcerated, along with other PTI members after being denied a meeting. According to the PTI, Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen were “sitting peacefully” outside the jail when they were manhandled and “violently detained” by police.
“These three sisters of Imran Ahmed Niazi sahib, on May 9 they were also present at the Core Commander’s House,” he said, but added that until now they had not been told not to “cry victimisation”.
“If you ask my legal opinion, their presence is proof … They were there on May 9, they brought groups there and it is visible in the cameras that all three are present there,” Tarar said.
“The drama being made today — there is a reason for that.”
He said that the foreign policy success after Marka-i- Haq was not being digested well by the PTI.
“In their era the economy had dipped; it is (now) moving towards an economy of stability. They are not able to digest this.”
“Why are these sisters going on Indian channels and Afghanistan’s channels and crying for their brother?” Tarar stressed. “In the interview that Noreen Khan Niazi gave to an Indian channel, did she say that she condemns Modi? Those innocent children that were martyred, did she talk about Irtaza Abbas? Did she talk about those citizens that were martyred in Muridke and Bahawalpur? Did she talk about those soldiers and young officers who were martyred? Did she pay tribute to them?”
He slammed the sisters’ actions, saying:
“Those who go on Indian channels and defame Pakistan should be ashamed of themselves.”
He added that Indian channels were providing their platform because they knew that “this family, and this party’s mindset is against Pakistan”.
He further slammed Noreen for not condemning the Hindutva ideology on the Indian channel, the cruelty against Muslims in India, or talking about the issue of India-occupied Kashmir.
“Shame on you!” the minister said with emphasis. “That you go on Indian channels and don’t talk about occupied Kashmir, Marka-i-Haq, martyrs, and you go and cry about victimisation about a prisoner who is involved in a corruption case?”
He said that the family was building “hype” in foreign media about the danger to Imran’s health, saying, “Let me assure you: he’s hale and hearty. There’s no issue. He runs every day on a treadmill for an hour.
“This kind of privileged prisoner — this kind of VVIP prisoner who enjoys five-star hotel facilities — you will not find anywhere in the world,” he said.
He added, “If only, Noreen Khan sahiba, you had gone there and talked about your martyred, about that child Irtiza Abbas. About the victory in Marka-i-Haq … if only you had paid tribute to your prime minister and chief of army staff, and condemned Modi … but for you, politics is important, defaming Pakistan is important, and personal matters are important.”
