The Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Atta Tarar, stated that the government would determine if they should sue Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf after the Federal Investigation Agency’s investigation of their activities on social media is done.
According to Atta Tarar, the FIA’s investigation is serious. Once the probe ends, legal action will be taken if necessary.
FIA has called Barrister Gohar, Umar Ayub, and Rauf Hassan from PTI over the misuse of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s X account (previously Twitter) for spreading hate speech against state institutions. Imran Khan’s official account on May 26 shared a video with a statement attributed to him urging every Pakistani to read the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report to know who were the real traitors: General Yahya Khan or Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The video referred to alleged atrocities by the Pakistani army during the civil war and argued that the former military dictator was responsible for the country’s disintegration. It also juxtaposed pictures of present civilians. And military leaders while accusing them of having stolen the party’s mandate in the February 8 general elections.
He said that the cabinet hasn’t discussed legally proceeding against the opposition party yet. But mentioned that it could happen in such cases. As per Attaullah Tarar, any steps taken will depend on what comes out after the FIA findings.
PECA 2016: PTI Could Face Prosecution
When asked if the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 covers incitement to rebellion. He said yes — there are grounds for prosecuting PTI under this law. He added that no statements inciting attacks on the country’s integrity and sovereignty can go unchecked.
Attaullah Tarar highlighted the significant difference between statements and actions. He pointed out that when Nawaz Sharif was removed from office, he made a comparison to 1971 only once.
He accused PTI of creating political instability through protests, noting that messages inciting the burning of Jinnah House or statues of martyrs were not isolated incidents. The result of years of harmful rhetoric and campaigns.
When asked whether the federal government would accept former President Arif Alvi’s offer for negotiations. The minister accused PTI of saying one thing and doing another. He mentioned that Rauf Hassan denied leading PTI’s social media team despite Imran Khan praising him.
The PML-N leader stated that PTI has no intention of genuine negotiations. Attaullah Tarar concluded that the government should not negotiate with those responsible for the events of May 9 and that they should fight their battles in court. He emphasized that the government cannot engage in talks with PTI.
