Asif blasts PTI over protest death claims

ISLAMABAD:

Accusing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of spinning tales, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has lambasted the party for its claims about casualties during the November 26 protests in Islamabad.

Asif alleged that PTI leaders not only exaggerated death tolls but also circulated deceptive content, such as using images of Gaza martyrs to misrepresent the situation.

Reacting to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan's retraction of earlier claims about "hundreds of deaths" in Islamabad protests, Asif dismissed the move, saying that "merely disowning such statements was not enough".

He lambasted the PTI leadership for fuelling a "flood of lies and baseless allegations".

"[K-P Chief Minister] Ali Amin Gandapur and other senior PTI leaders appeared on television, making exaggerated claims of thousands of deaths. One individual even cited a figure of 278 as though he personally counted the bodies," Asif stated, ridiculing the precision of such claims.

Asif further challenged PTI to provide proof for even 12 alleged deaths. "Show evidence—images of funerals or information about the deceased's families. Otherwise, these claims hold no weight," he demanded.

Addressing Barrister Gohar directly, Asif said, "Your party members shared pictures of Gaza martyrs on 'X' and falsely linked them to Islamabad protesters. Apologies aside, this act of forgery and deceit says a lot about the culture of PTI."

The defence minister's statement came after the PTI made a U-turn, retracting its previous claim of hundreds of party workers being killed during clashes with security forces at the federal capital Islamabad's D-Chowk on the night of November 26.

The party has now said that 12 people lost their lives in the incident.

After meeting PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Barrister Gohar spoke to the media, stating that they had provided information about the Islamabad protest to Imran Khan.

"Due to a lack of access to newspapers and TV, the founder was unaware of what had transpired in Islamabad on November 26," said Gohar.