‘No connection with party’: PTI distances itself from UK protester as party faces backlash
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday distanced itself from “provocative” remarks by a protester during a demonstration in the British city of Bradford, as the party continues to face backlash from the government and other quarters.
In the video posted on PTI’s UK page and since deleted, a woman appears to be wishing ill on a person without taking any name, saying that they should be “blown up in a car”. The woman can be seen surrounded by people holding PTI flags.
In a strongly-worded statement on Saturday, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram stated that the speech delivered by the demonstrator in the UK has “no connection” whatsoever with the party.
Furthermore, he stated that the woman held no position within PTI and has no affiliation with the party. Therefore, PTI completely disowned her rhetoric and emphasised that it has never endorsed such irresponsible and inflammatory statements from any party office-bearer.
Akram stated that the views expressed, the language used, and the tone adopted in the speech do not reflect PTI’s official stance, political ideology, or vision.
“PTI, as a matter of principle, strongly opposes violence, hate speech, incitement, inflammatory rhetoric, and the use of unethical or indecent language in political discourse. PTI firmly believes in democratic, constitutional, and peaceful political struggle, and does not endorse or support any individual or group engaging in conduct contrary to these values,” he said.
The PTI also strongly condemned the Punjab government for the treatment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, his cabinet, parliamentarians, and the accompanying delegation during their visit to Punjab.
He said the visit, which began on December 26 in Lahore and various districts of Punjab as a peaceful, democratic, and political engagement aimed at meeting party workers and discussing public issues, was deliberately turned by the Punjab government into an exercise in political vendetta and hate-driven politics.
Waqas pointed out that CM KP and his delegation were stopped at multiple locations, their routes blocked, and they faced physical pushback and humiliating treatment inside the Punjab Assembly.
“The forcible ejection of our elected representatives from the assembly constitutes a flagrant breach of federal respect and democratic norms,” he added.
The party’s information secretary said that the deployment of heavy police forces to stop a peaceful rally at Liberty Chowk reflected the rising fear of public power among the current rulers.
Waqas said he was astonished that, to further aggravate the situation, certain planted elements posing as journalists were brought forward, whose objective was neither reporting nor questioning, but a deliberate and well-planned attempt to provoke, ridicule, and fuel provincial hatred.
He asserted that questioning a constitutional office-holder like the provincial chief executive with allegations such as whether he had “brought narcotics” was not only extremely despicable and shameful, reflecting a base mindset, but also a direct insult to the people of KP and the elected chief minister of a province.
Waqas emphasised that such questions were not journalism, but rather a well-calculated attempt to sow provincial distrust and hatred, which PTI condemned in the strongest possible terms.
He added that rogue elements undoubtedly existed in every field, but degrading a respected profession like journalism to such an extent was both regrettable and condemnable.
“We call upon responsible media organisations and esteemed journalists to hold accountable those within their ranks who, under any specific agenda, pressure, or personal gain, use such hateful and unethical language,” he demanded.
The opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) spokesperson, Akhunzada Hussain Ahmed Yousufzai, said in a statement that the Punjab Police behaved rudely and inhumanely with the province’s chief executive, as well as the accompanying ministers and members, from Chakri all the way to the Punjab Assembly.
“So-called tout journalists asked them extremely petty and degrading questions with the sole purpose of humiliating them. When this still did not satisfy them, police goons were sent to launch an attack on Liberty Chowk,” he claimed.
He said that such tactics could not harm the opposition in any way; rather, they clearly exposed fear and panic.
“We categorically do not believe that such conduct has any connection with the poor, hardworking people of Punjab. Instead, it reflects a defeated and depraved mindset that was thrown into the dustbin of history by the people’s silent revolution on February 8, 2024,” Akhunzada said.
