ISLAMABAD, Jan 09 (APP): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Friday strongly condemned the “soft corner” shown by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for Fitna al Khawarij , regretting their outright reluctance in denouncing the outlawed group’s hostility towards the state and its people.
Addressing a press conference alongside veteran politician Zahid Khan, the minister said the PTI leaders absolutely faltered when questioned by the media about the proscribed organization.
Tarar said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are brave and courageous, but unfortunately ruled by those who have “myopic mindset” with their “regrettable conduct”.
During a visit to Lahore, their leaders stooped very low and resorted to use derogatory language against the women leaders of Punjab.
“If a minister of one province speaks such things about a female information minister of another province, he should think whether he can use the same words for his own sisters and daughters,” said Atta Tarar while denouncing their conduct as “shameful and regrettable”.
What is the role of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in the province, he asked, adding whether they were only supposed to taunt women leaders of other parties?
They became speechless when asked to comment on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, he said citing example of the KP Information Minister who became speechless in response to a question during a TV show.
There is no doubt that the TTP carries out attacks on Pakistan under foreign funding, RAW, and Indian patronage, but no word of condemnation came from the KPK government.
They were very fluent while taunting other party leaders, but they kept a complete mum when the TTP is mentioned, he said, adding the PTI leader kept calling terrorists as martyrs, but never had the courage to say or write a single word for appreciation of a soldier of the Pakistan Army.
Referring to the Awami National Party, he said they had given exemplary sacrifices in the war against terrorism and has lifted the bodies of their loved ones. The Bilour family became a target of terrorism and their sacrifices are part of history, he added.
In contrast, the PTI holds a soft corner for terrorists, fearing that they might be attacked by the TTP if they spoke anything about them. In fact, the PTI is not attacked by terrorists due to their open support for them.
The minister said after Operations Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad, terrorism had been eliminated from the country, but ironically the PTI brought back terrorism by resettling the terrorists in Pakistan.
He accused the PTI of being directly involved in malicious social media campaigns against the armed forces, regretting their reluctance to support the Pakistan Army in its fight against terrorism.
Terrorists had complete backing of the political wing of Tehreek-e-Inteshar, he said, asking the PTI to mention even a single good person from the TTP.
He said the outlawed TTP is the enemy of Pakistan and the state will uproot the group at all cost.
“We have full confidence in the Pakistan Armed Forces and security institutions who are fighting them valiantly.”
Tarar criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, questioning its performance in health and education sectors.
He said the chief minister of KPK raised slogans of loyalty to PTI leadership but failed to deliver basic services. Even provincial ministers, he noted, avoid treatment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hospitals, while a majority of patients at Rawalpindi’s cardiology hospital come from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Highlighting the plight of Tank district residents, he said people and animals drink from the same pond due to lack of clean water.
He criticized KP’s governance, pointing out that while Punjab and Sindh established forensic labs and universities, KP failed to introduce similar reforms. Even after 13 years, he said, health facilities in South Waziristan remain incomplete, with only one hospital and a single female doctor serving Tank.
Reports highlight lack of clean water, understaffed universities, and 4.9 million students deprived of facilities across 22,000 schools. Health services in Timargarah also remain inadequate.
He said the PTI is completely stunned by the progress of Pakistan under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had restored the country’s integrity at international level.
Tarar said Pakistan’s dignity was reflected in official invitations, guard of honor ceremonies, and international cooperation in defense and trade. He contrasted this with past arrogance that led to strained relations and isolation, noting that today
Pakistan is welcomed with red carpets at major forums and summits.
He said the year 2025 marked by numerous successes for Pakistan. In this year, the country had achieved a decisive victory in the “Battle of Truth” (Maarka-e-Haq) under the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Tarar praised overseas Pakistanis for sending record remittances despite boycott calls, strengthening national stability.
He said Pakistan currently holds import cover for several months which is a sign of economic resilience.
The minister said there was a time when the country stood on the brink of default with a sharp decline in foreign exchange reserves, devaluation of Pakistani rupee, stagnation in business activities, a halt in exports and the non-opening of LCs.
The country was marred by uncertainty and anxiety existed to the point where speculations were being made whether the country would default today or tomorrow, he noted.
He said that, God forbid, if what the political rivals desired had happened and the country had defaulted, long queues would have formed outside banks, severe fear and panic would have spread among the public, there would have been a stampede to withdraw funds, looting, the suspension of international airlines coming to Pakistan, and trade links with other countries would have been suspended, creating a situation of complete chaos in the country.
Under the current government, Pakistan has emerged from the brink of default and is moving toward becoming an emerging economy, he said, noting that the domestic stock market is touching new heights on a daily basis, the primary reason for which is the increasing confidence of the business community, industrialists, and traders in government policies.
He said the business class knows very well that the process of structural reforms is ongoing and the positive results of the steps taken by the Prime Minister in the national interest regarding the economy have started to emerge.
Under the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and his team, the fruits of economic revival are visible, he said, adding in the month of December alone, remittances reached $3.6 billion, showing a 17 percent increase on a year-on-year basis.
He said that despite this, a political party gave a call to overseas Pakistanis to boycott and not send remittances to Pakistan; however, on behalf of the Prime Minister and the government, he paid tribute the overseas Pakistanis who have broken all previous records of sending remittances.
Attaullah Tarar said that the momentum of growth in the national economy is maintained, foreign exchange reserves are increasing, the Stock Exchange is performing excellently, overseas Pakistanis are sending capital and remittances home with full confidence, while Pakistan’s trade links with other countries are also increasing.
The Prime Minister talks about the promotion of Pakistani products at every forum during his foreign visits, he said, adding Malaysia has expressed a desire to import halal meat and rice from Pakistan, while bilateral trade is also discussed with high-level delegations and heads of state visiting Pakistan, and they are increasing trade cooperation with Pakistan.
He said the prime minister’s foreign visits are criticized, but it should be seen what positive effects these visits are having on the national economy. “Whenever the Prime Minister visits any country, new successes are achieved on the trade front; those who say there is no need for so many visits are actually naive.”
He said the prime minister undertook visits on the invitation of the heads of various states which is a great honor for the country and people of Pakistan.
He said there was a time when a person, in an arrogant manner with legs crossed, used to say “I know your culture and history better than you”; the result of this conduct was that both the East and the West became offended. Due to one individual, Pakistan became a victim of global isolation.
Today the situation is that the countries of the world are laying out the red carpet for Pakistan, which reflects the dignity and honor of the Prime Minister and the entire nation; international flights have resumed, and the global community desires cooperation with Pakistan in trade and defense sectors.
To a question, Attaullah Tarar said that the auction of Pakistan Super League teams was conducted in a transparent manner which was seen by the whole world.
Mentioning the government’s successes, the Information Minister said that the privatization of PIA is an important milestone as the overseas Pakistanis consider investing in Pakistan a matter of pride.
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