ISLAMABAD: The embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday distanced itself from a speech delivered by a woman during a protest in the United Kingdom last week, saying she had no affiliation with the party and did not represent its views.
The clarification from PTI came after the Foreign Office issued a strong demarche to the United Kingdom’s envoy in Islamabad over threats allegedly made against the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Field Marshal Asim Munir during a PTI-linked protest outside the Pakistani consulate in Bradford.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said that UK Acting Head of Mission Matt Cannell was summoned and handed the demarche, formally conveying Pakistan’s concerns over the incident.
In a statement, PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram said the woman who addressed the gathering neither held any position in the party nor spoke on its behalf.
He said that the PTI rejected the language, tone, and content of the speech, reiterating that the party opposed violence, hate speech, and inflammatory rhetoric, and believed in a peaceful, democratic, and constitutional political struggle.
Separately, Akram accused the Punjab government of deliberately obstructing a visit by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to the province.
Social media trends: Talal warns action for targeting country, state institutions
He said the visit, which began on Dec 26 and involved meetings with party workers and discussions on public issues, was marred by what he described as “unconstitutional and humiliating” treatment by the Punjab administration.
According to the PTI spokesman, the KP chief minister and his delegation were stopped at several locations, routes were blocked, and the PTI lawmakers faced resistance and “humiliating” treatment in the Punjab Assembly.
He alleged that elected representatives were forcibly removed, calling it a violation of democratic norms and the spirit of federalism.
Akram also criticised the deployment of heavy police contingents to prevent a planned rally at Liberty Chowk, saying it reflected fear of public mobilisation.
He further alleged that individuals posing as journalists attempted to provoke the KP chief minister through offensive questioning, which he said was aimed at fuelling provincial discord.
Condemning the arrests of PTI workers and elected representatives ahead of the visit, he said such actions demonstrated a lack of commitment to democratic values, provincial harmony, and the federal system.
He added that the treatment meted out to the KP leadership was neither in keeping with Punjab’s traditions nor reflective of the values of its people.
Reiterating the party’s stance, the PTI spokesman said the party, under the leadership of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, remained committed to constitutional supremacy, national unity, and peaceful political struggle.
He said PTI would continue to pursue its objectives through democratic means and called on citizens to oppose political victimisation and attempts to foment provincial hatred.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.