ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday issued a sharp challenge to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, demanding that he name the bureaucrats and elites he accused of stashing billions abroad – or be held accountable for what the party called “reckless and rhetorical mudslinging.”
Talking to journalists, the PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram did not mince words, slamming Asif’s recent claim that over half of the country’s bureaucracy had moved wealth overseas – including property purchases in Portugal and the Gulf – as “whistle blowing without the whistle.”
“If these are real allegations, then where are the names? Where is the action?” Akram questioned. “Otherwise, this is just political theatre and a dangerous one at that.”
The party drew attention to the Dubai Unlocked investigation by the OCCRP in 2024, which exposed more than 17,000 Pakistanis – including senior bureaucrats, retired military officers, and politicians – holding over 23,000 properties in Dubai alone.
“Everyone saw the leak. Everyone saw who benefited. But instead of accountability, we got radio silence,” said Akram. “Now Khawaja Asif lobs accusations with no substance, no follow-up, and no consequences. It’s not just irresponsible – it’s insulting to the public.”
The PTI argued that such allegations, vague and unsubstantiated, only serve to further erode public trust in state institutions already viewed as opaque and unaccountable.
“The bureaucracy has long operated in the shadows – shielded, protected, and rarely questioned,” said Akram. “But when even a sitting minister admits there’s rot, why isn’t anyone asking for proof or demanding reform.”
He added that if Asif’s claims are false, he must be censured for defaming the civil service. If they are true, then silence from the government and judiciary is “damning in itself.”
Turning to the issue of security, PTI took aim at the federal government’s “habitual buck-passing,” particularly in the wake of rising militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Responding to State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry, who blamed provincial governments for the deteriorating situation, Akram fired back: “Maryam Nawaz should first explain why katcha dacoits still control large swathes of Punjab. And Murad Ali Shah needs to clean up Sindh before anyone lectures KP.”
PTI criticized Islamabad for failing to release promised funds, for neglecting border management, and for undermining provincial autonomy – all while pointing fingers at provinces expected to manage the fallout.
Akram reiterated PTI’s firm opposition to any new military campaigns in the erstwhile tribal belt, warning that past operations left behind broken communities, displaced families, and deepening mistrust.
“If the rulers are confident in their strategy, they should first leave their fortified bunkers and meet the people who’ve lived through the consequences,” he said.
Pakistan’s slide to second on the Global Terrorism Index, just behind Burkina Faso, was cited by PTI as evidence of institutional breakdown – not militant resurgence. “This is the cost of a system that refuses to fix itself,” Akram said.
He ended with a sweeping indictment of what he called a “fascist regime,” denouncing the imprisonment of Imran Khan, and describing the current government as an “illegitimate order held together by fear, fraud, and force.”
“The country cannot move forward when its institutions protect privilege instead of justice,” he warned. “The people are watching and they know who emptied the coffers.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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