PTI’s ‘false narrative’ an attempt aimed at covering up embarrassment: Tarar

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage, and Culture, Attaullah Tarar, levelled serious allegations against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of exploiting fake visuals and misinformation campaigns on social media to mislead the public and create unrest in the country.

Speaking at a press conference, the minister claimed that PTI used footage of Israeli atrocities in Gaza and old images from their own tenure to depict violence during protests in Islamabad’s D-Chowk. “The PTI’s entire narrative is built on deception. They are politicizing fabricated images and videos to cover up the embarrassment of their failed protests,” he stated.

Tarar criticized the party for propagating “fake news” and alleged that they had linked irrelevant visuals to their political agenda. According to him, no direct evidence of the casualties claimed by PTI neither bodies nor hospital records have surfaced, despite their assertions of deaths caused by violence.

“Not a single verified video or photograph of sniper fire or direct shooting has been provided by PTI. Their own videos show them fleeing the scene,” Tarar said, emphasizing that government hospitals, including PIMS and Polyclinic, had not received any such cases.

In a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the government resolved to ensure peace and order. The minister reiterated the government’s stance on maintaining national stability amidst what he described as PTI’s attempts to derail progress.

Highlighting positive developments, Tarar said Pakistan’s economic indicators were showing improvement, including the stock market crossing 100,000 points and foreign reserves exceeding $11 billion. He also celebrated the reopening of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) European routes, which he said would revive the airline’s revenue and reputation.

The minister accused PTI of attempting to sabotage these advancements. “While Pakistan is progressing, PTI continues its politics of anarchy and misinformation,” he asserted.

Tarar also shed light on PTI’s “internal conflicts”, referring to tensions between party leaders, including Bushra Bibi, Ali Amin Gandapur, and others. He stated that their disunity reflected the party’s declining relevance and inability to connect with the public.

“PTI has failed to mobilize significant public support, as even the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rejected their call for protests,” he said. The minister claimed that PTI’s actions had led to a loss of Rs190 billion for local businesses and accused the party of damaging public property and government assets.

Tarar warned those arrested during the protests would face speedy trials and be held accountable for their actions. “We will not let their lies destabilize the country,” he said, adding that the government had established a verification cell to counter misinformation and expose false narratives.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024