Sharjeel slams Rafique's Dhaka fall remarks

Sindh senior minister says political point-scoring over a national tragedy distorts history

KARACHI:

 

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Wednesday strongly criticised PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique over his recent remarks, describing them as highly irresponsible, an attempt to distort history and harmful to national unity.

Responding to Rafique's statement, Memon said the PML-N leader had become a victim of "political bankruptcy and moral decline," adding that sarcastic remarks could neither change history nor alter public opinion.

He said the fall of Dhaka remained one of the most tragic chapters in Pakistan's history, with its wounds still fresh in the nation's collective memory. Using such a sensitive national tragedy for political point-scoring, he said, amounted to rubbing salt into the nation's wounds.

Memon said before blaming former prime minister and PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for the fall of Dhaka, Rafique should have read the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report.

He said Bhutto gave Pakistan its unanimous Constitution, laid the foundation of its nuclear programme, united the Islamic world on a common platform and raised political awareness among the people.

He further said the PML-N continued to claim credit for conducting nuclear tests based on the programme initiated by Bhutto, adding that the services of the Bhutto family constituted a bright chapter in Pakistan's history and could not be erased because of political differences.

The senior minister said former PM and PPP slain chairperson Benazir Bhutto was remembered around the world as a symbol of democracy, courage and the struggle for people's rights.

Targeting the Bhutto family for political criticism while making the country's history controversial, he added, reflected a regrettable style of politics.

Memon urged the PML-N to refrain from using tragedies as political weapons, saying Pakistan needs unity, tolerance and forward-looking politics rather than divisive narratives and historical polarization.