Irked by the prospects of rapprochement between PTI and powers that be, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has chastised former prime minister Imran Khan for showing willingness to engage with the military.
The PTI Supremo Imran Khan, while talking to journalists during a hearing, reportedly said he was ready to engage with the military, asking the army to appoint a representative. He asserted that neither he nor his party had never levelled allegations against the armed forces.
He was further quoted as saying that the government was trying to pit the army against the PTI. He termed Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz as a fascist.
It is pertinent to mention here that in the days of the PTI government, it was PML-N that publicly ex-pressed the desire to engage only with powers, calling PTI government their puppets. Maryam Nawaz utterance of "powers talk to powers" was seen as an attempt to reach out.
Another aspect that seemed to have unnerved the current government is the chatter of clandestine talks between the two sides. This was this impression in and outside the party that if in case there is a thaw in relations between PTI and powers that be, PML-N would lose the utility of making its government dis-pensable.
In such a case, even if PML-N is allowed to hold on to power, their days in government would become incrementally turbulent. Further compounding their anxiety are rumors of a technocratic system, which in this case, could become much easier to install.
Senior Punjab Minister Maryam Aurangzeb responded to the PTI founder's recent statement, asserting that the self-proclaimed revolutionary who once declared that he "will not apologise" has now resorted to pleas and negotiations.
She questioned the intent behind the self-styled revolutionary's desire to negotiate with the military, stating that after vandalising martyrs' monuments, attacking the GHQ/airbases and burning down the Lahore Corps Commander's house, it is time to seek forgiveness rather than negotiations.
The senior minister emphasised the need for the PTI founder to apologise to the families of the martyrs for the transgressions his party committed on May 9. She stated that the planned desecration of the martyrs' memorials was an organised conspiracy. Attacking military installations and the GHQ was not a form of criticism, but an attack on the state itself, she said.
Maryam Aurangzeb labeled the PTI founder a fascist, claiming that every action of his was driven by a thirst for power. She condemned him for breaking the Constitution for personal gains and described a fascist as someone who imprisons a daughter in front of a detained father to torture political oppo-nents. Further, she accused him of being a "media predator", someone who devours freedoms like a beast.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhar said Imran should be ashamed of himself for accusing Mar-yam Nawaz of being a fascist. "He had Maryam Nawaz arrested in front of her father. The fascist leader, who demanded Article 6 cases against political opponents and installed cameras in jails to inflict torture, was none other than Imran."
Bokhari said that Maryam Nawaz did not have his four sisters or Bushra Bibi arrested. "You were the one who fled in fear from a wheelchair. Maryam Nawaz did not make you stand. You were the fascist and vindictive ruler who, as prime minister, had more than a hundred PML-N leaders arrested in political cas-es," she said. "Despite daily arrests, not a single leader abandoned Mian Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).
The provincial information minister added that Imran Khan should not blame Maryam Nawaz for his crimes, failed coup, and anti-Pakistan conspiracies. She asked why he was not ashamed of himself when asking for negotiations with the army. "First, you attack military installations, burn statues of martyrs, and then play innocent. You will have to account for the failed coup of May 9 and face the consequenc-es."
In recent times, PTI's opponents have persistently pressed on the need to deescalate, but the recent attempt the former ruling party to ease tensions has met with strong resistance from the government and government-leaning journalists.
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