Tarar says FIA to probe posts from Imran Khan’s social media accounts against national security

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) would launch investigations into the handling of PTI founder Imran Khan’s social media accounts which were being used to create "chaos and anarchy" in the country, and "undermining" the national security, said Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Friday. 

“He (the PTI founder) should be ashamed of undermining national security, inciting people to anarchy and committing the sedition,” said the minister while talking to the media.

Tarar said the FIA had decided to investigate the handling of the social media accounts of the jailed PTI founder. It would be ascertained who is the handler of his social media accounts, and whether such posts were being made on his behest or it was done on directives of someone else, he added.

He said a botched attempt had been made to conspire against the sitting chief justice and heads of other institutions. Through these posts, he tried to mobilize the people against two major state institutions which is highly condemnable.

The minister said this conspiracy was destined to fail as his accusations against the interior minister and others had nothing to do with the reality.

The PTI founder had all the facilities like a presidential suit in the jail, but yet he still resorted to attack the state institutions, he said, adding nobody would be allowed to do so at any cost.

He said the FIA would inquire into this issue and the PTI founder would be investigated in this regard.

The minister said the message posted on the social media from the account of the PTI founder was tantamount to sedition, and creating anarchy in the country.

He said the PTI founder, in the post, had once again related himself with Sheikh Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, but he seemed to be elusive about the current situation in Bangladesh where the latter’s statues were demolished by the people after realizing the truth about history.

The minister said the examples quoted by the PTI founder in his social media posts were condemnable. “There will be an investigation as to who is running the accounts of the PTI’s founder on social media,” he noted.

The PTI has always targeted journalists, attacked them, launched smear campaigns against them on social media, said the minister, adding this party had completely resisted and discouraged the difference of opinion during their government’s tenure.

He called the PTI as “Tehreek-e-Intishar” which always encouraged its workers to resort to accusations, attacks and abuse if anybody disagreed with them in any case whatsoever.

The minister recalled the harassment of a female journalist by the PTI during one of its public gatherings in Lahore. Another journalist Sadaf was hit by a container and got killed during one of the rallies of the PTI founder.

There are multiple instances which reflected their dirty mindset of harassing and assaulting the female journalists, he said, pointing out the most recent badmouthing by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister in a public gathering.

“Being the Information Minister, I believe this is very inappropriate and the entire PTI should apologize unconditionally for the slogans raised in the PTI’s recent public gathering, as well as the statements made by KPK CM Ali Amin Gandapur against the female journalists.

He asked whether the sitting chief minister of one province was supposed to use foul language against the CM of another province and the state institutions.

Tarar condemned the use of derogatory language by the CM KPK against an institution which has been rendering numerous sacrifices to protect the lives of the people and restore peace in the KPK.

Brushing aside the notion that the PTI’s Parliamentarians were abducted outside of the Parliament by some face-covered people, he said it could be seen in the videos on social media that the police had arrested them.

He regretted that the PTI has been trying to drag the institutions in every other issue.

The minister recalled that the PTI used to celebrate the arrest of every opposition leader who was sent behind bars on the basis of fake cases that were orchestrated by the PTI founder together with the former Spy Chief Faiz Hameed during their tenures.

As regards the IMF programme, the minister said the deal with the International Monetary Fund is in final process.

He said inflation fell to a single digit, exports were increasing and the current account deficit was under control with all the economic indicators were on upward trajectory.

PTI founder refused to appear before probe team

Sources privy to the matter said that a case has been registered against the PTI founder in connection with threatening posts shared from his social media accounts. Meanwhile, a case has been lodged against Khan for allegedly inciting public against the government and the state institutions on September 13, 2024, the sources added.

A four-member FIA Cyber Crime team would visit Adiala Jail, where Khan is currently incarcerated, on Saturday (today) and interrogate the PTI founder in this regard, the sources added.

Earlier in the day, the four-member FIA team headed by Assistant Director Ayaz Khan arrived at the jail to probe the PTI founder in this regard, the sources said, adding that the FIA team left the jail without conducting any investigation as the PTI founder refused to appear before probe team. 

— Additional input from APP.