LAHORE: The ruling PML-N on Sunday accused the PTI of running a smear campaign against the country’s martyrs, an allegation swiftly rejected by the opposition party.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar warned the party of action over its alleged campaign against martyrs of the Mir Ali checkpost attack, while Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif regretted that the PTI’s ‘love of power’ had become so intense that “you make fun of those who sacrificed their lives for Pakistan”.
In a rejoinder, senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser censured both Mr Asif and Mr Tarar for criticising his party over its alleged involvement in an “insulting campaign” against the martyrs of Pakistan Army and security forces personnel, saying they were running “misleading propaganda” against PTI.
Seven troops, including two officers, embraced martyrdom when militants targeted a paramilitary camp in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan on Saturday. The security forces later killed six militants in a clearance operation.
“The smear campaign against martyrs is not acceptable as it has not only hurt the sentiments of families of martyrs but also the entire nation,” Mr Tarar told a press conference in Lahore.He said those behind the “vile campaign” were being identified and stern action would be taken against them.
He said the social media accounts involved in the malicious campaign had been reported to relevant platforms, but regretted that no action was taken by the authorities concerned as the accounts were still operational.
“The PTI is involved in disrespecting martyrs,” he said, citing the examples of the Lasbela helicopter crash in 2022 and May 9, when state institutions came under attack, martyrs’ memorials were vandalised.
Answering a question, he said many accounts involved in the vile campaign were being operated from outside the country, but some followers of these accounts were in the country. He said many accounts were also being operated from Pakistan, adding that legal action would be taken against them.
The minister said some political elements wanted to harm the national economy for their vested interests through negative tactics like writing letters to the IMF.He said PTI should have openly condemned those who had demonstrated outside IMF offices in the US and sent petitions to the European Union to revoke Pakistan’s GSP+ status.
