Imran censured for trying to ‘save narrative’

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb and Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on Saturday lambasted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, saying that he was busy keeping his narrative alive instead of saving and feeding the flood victims across the country.

Marriyum said that half of the nation is submerged under the water while the former prime minister is trapped under his ego. She said that Imran indulged in his “false politics” to avoid corruption cases.

Pakistan is currently reeling through heavy floods. In the past few weeks, record monsoon rains and flash floods killed more than 1,200 people and injured over 6,000 others. Nearly 400 children are among those who died of the calamity. Moreover, 33 million people have been rendered homeless.

Moreover, around 900,000 livestock have perished, and roughly 2 million acres of farmland and 90 percent of crops have been damaged.
Meanwhile, the PTI chief is holding his rallies, pledging to keep working against the incumbent government who he says had come to power through a conspiracy.

The information minister, while reacting to Imran’s speech, said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz were occupying the former premier’s thoughts.

“Instead of giving something to the hungry people of the flood-affected areas, Imran Khan has once again filled the stomach of his false politics,” she said.

She added that Pakistan was becoming stable and Imran’s alleged plot to turn the country into Sri Lanka failed. “Mr Imran, what have you done for four years, and what are you talking about?” she asked the PTI chief.

Sherry also criticised the former premier for “preferring politics over flood victims”, saying that he was on a mission to keep his narrative alive and not the flood victims.

She pointed out the losses due to the floods, pointing out that Imran was busy holding rallies in the middle of everything.

“Millions of people are waiting for help under the open sky, but Imran Khan says he is waking the nation up for revolution,” she said, adding that this only told the people that the PTI chief was only interested in politics.

The minister said that Imran should at least help the flood victims in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) if not in Sindh and Balochistan.

“The people of South Punjab are waiting for rescue and relief, but the helicopter of the Punjab government is giving pick and drop service to Imran Khan from Bali Gala to jalsa gah,” she said, adding that the former premier should take off “the lens of selfishness” and see how the situation is in the country.

“He is still inciting people to hatred and anarchy,” she said. “This is not the time to hold rallies but to save lives.”