Marriyum belittles Imran’s charges against govt

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan's “failed long march” had become a "work from home" adventure.

Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, she said, “Imran Khan is in grief as his failed long march had been changed into work from home.”

"Our watches show us the time, Imran Khan's watch has shown him his reality,” Marriyum said, taking a jibe at the PTI chief.

She lamented that the former prime minister allegedly sold the watch "having an image of the Holy Kaaba" for a few "pennies".

She said that Friday’s address of Imran convinced the government that he had not been hit by the bullet but was hit by grief and sorrow due to the “failed long march”.

She, however, clarified that revealing the facts regarding Imran did not mean she was mocking the PTI chairman as he was bedridden due to injury.

The minister said that she was responding to a healthy man who was in the habit of speaking lies, levelling allegations and slandering his opponents, including Maryam Nawaz.

“Mr Imran Khan! People are not foolish and unwise to believe your lies and false allegations,” she said.

Marriyum said that the people of the country had understood the real meaning and moto behind the “Haqaqi Azadi March” as they could not be befooled anymore.

“When the no-confidence motion came against Imran, he said that there was a US conspiracy that wanted to impose an imported government,” she added.

She said that Imran Khan was a "hypocritical person" who always took U-turns and changed his stance frequently as he believed that the people of the country were "fools" who would believe in his propaganda of lies.

“Today question mark is not on Imran Khan but the biggest question mark was on those who believed in the leadership of Imran Khan,” she maintained.

Marriyum said that first time in the history of Pakistan, the motion of no-confidence was tabled through the constitutional method in which the allies of the former premier voted against him.

After realising that the no-confidence motion would be successful, Imran, in a closed-door meeting, offered the chief of army staff (COAS) extension for an indefinite period, she alleged.

She also said that in public, Imran made sarcastic statements like “Mir Jafar”, “Mir Sadiq” and called neutrals as "animals".

She recalled that when the no-confidence motion was moved by the opposition, it was accepted by the then-speaker, who allowed discussion before voting on it.

“When Imran Khan was convinced that the no-confidence movement would be successful, he adopted the narrative of an external conspiracy,” she added.

The minister also played video clips of the PTI chief during a press conference in which he purportedly took various stances after the no-confidence motion tabled in the National Assembly (NA).

She said that Imran misguided the public by "telling lies and frequently cheating people".

To another question, she said that the appointment of the new chief of army staff was the prerogative of the prime minister and he would fulfil his constitutional responsibility.