- Talal says that PTI attacked the establishment of defense facilities.
- Said the efforts made to ensure wider participation in the NA session.
- Salman Raja excludes the possibility of Imran’s apology.
Islamabad: The federal government doubled its request for apologies on the part of the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, on the events of May 9, 2023 on Monday, while the former power party firmly rejected such a possibility.
“The apology is not enough … They (PTI) have no other option than to confess crime,” said state minister Talal Chaudhry in the new Geo ‘AAJ Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ program.
His remarks occurred a few days after the Prime Minister’s adviser on Rana Sanaullah political affairs hinted at the release of Imran if the latter offers unreserved excuses for the events of May 9, 2023, which saw military installations vandalized across the country in riots launched after his arrest.
The Government of the Pakistan Development Movement (PDM) as well as the current one has held PTI responsible for riots – something that the former ruling party vehemently denies.
The former ruling party, since his negotiations with the government have reached an impasse, held out to the opposition parties to launch a protest against the power coalition in order to “restore” the supremacy of the rule of law and the constitution and to guarantee the release of “political prisoners” in the country.
Speaking during today’s program, Chaudhry noted that if PTI and its founder believe that they would not apologize, despite evidence and testimonies against them, the inhabitants of Pakistan know the truth.
“They attacked the establishment … They attacked the defense facilities across the country,” he said, adding that it was a wider plot in which the founder of the PTI was involved.
Referring to the recent session of the National Security Parliamentary Committee (NSC), Chaudhry said that all the efforts had been made to ensure wider participation. However, he asked why the former ruling party chose not to attend the crucial meeting.
He added that operations as part of the National Action Plan (NAP) were underway, hundreds of operations based on intelligence were carried out daily to maintain security.
‘No chance’
Meanwhile, the head of the PTI Salman Akram Raja excluded any possibility of Imran by offering apology on May 9, affirming that such a notion is completely impossible.
He said there was no chance of apologies and that those who expect on the contrary are wrong.
Raja noted that discussions with the opposition parties progressed well and would continue thanks to a mutual consultation. He added that PTI was heading through the political spectrum, including with Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam (JUI-F) and parts of the Sindh.
He also criticized the government’s “repression” on March 23, saying that even if it was supposed to be a celebration day, the houses were searched and in Lahore, even a simple cake ceremony was not authorized.
He also said that during an event he was assisted, the police had intervened and closed the sound system. Raja condemned these actions, saying that they raped not only the Constitution but did not hold the fundamental decency either.
He accused the Muttahida Qaumi-Pakistan movement (MQM), the Pakistani peoples’ party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to benefit from the current situation.