Islamabad, Pakistan: A large number of senior politicians of PTI including a group of party senators suggested former prime minister Imran Khan last week for releasing a statement condemning any kind of hateful messages present on social media platforms against any institution or individual.
The driving force behind such advice was normalizing PTI relations with other political parties as well as with state institutions. However, according to sources, Imran Khan categorically refused to release such a statement, commenting that he would continue to criticize opponents because releasing such a statement would be against the media narrative of PTI that stands on abusing those who were in power before and after 42-months tenure of Imran Khan. He was of the opinion that his message to the nation to ask not to use harsh words against adversaries would send a message of weakness to opponents.
Sources said that the former PM was annoyed with his party leaders who wanted to cool down the situation in the country by stabilizing relations with parliamentarians of the sitting government and he also directed all PTI members not to meet any PDM politician without his prior approval.
When asked to share the political disposition that the former PM discussed with his party members, one of PTI leaders with the condition of maintaining anonymity said that the offer for talks with the government did not mean that PTI would retreat from its state position that it is taking the last one year and usage of “imported government”, “corrupt”, “choor”, “baghariat” etc. would remain in PTI media campaign. When asked to crack down on social media warriors (keyboard warriors) of PTI, he claimed that social media managers from abroad had already taken the position of domestic warriors who are either clamped down or already ran away to avoid their arrests.
It is pertinent to mention that PTI had been using slur brigades against its opponents since the year 2008 and now state institutions are the target of this brigade since Imran Khan was voted out from his PM office by the (then) opposition in April 2022.
