The PTI on Tuesday distanced celebration founder Imran Khan from a controversial social media submit on the 1971 civil struggle and the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report, saying that the submit was not aimed in direction of the army and needs to be seen in a “political context”.
“The context and comparability that we drew with 1971 was in a political context and never in any other case — nothing concerning the military,” PTI chief and MNA Barrister Gohar Ali Khan categorically stated at the moment in an interview with digital information outlet Azaad Urdu.
In a submit on social media platform X dated Might 26, Imran’s account, which is managed by his social media staff as a result of him being incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail serving sentences in a number of circumstances, shared a video together with a quote attributed to him: “Each Pakistani ought to examine the Hamoodur Rahman Fee Report and get to know who was the true traitor, Common Yahya Khan or Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”
The video argued that the previous army dictator was the one truly accountable for the nation’s breakup, referring to alleged atrocities dedicated by the Pakistani army throughout the civil struggle.
The video additionally interspersed pictures of the present civilian and army management, alleging that they stole the celebration’s mandate within the normal elections.
The PTI had doubled down on the submit, saying that the report analysed the “position of the Pakistan army within the political-military involvement in East-Pakistan from 1947 to 1971”.
“Mysteriously all 12 copies created had been both stolen or had been destroyed. The uncanny resemblance with the present flip of occasions in final two years, involving army and civilian relationships makes one query,” the PTI had stated, seemingly referring to the state crackdown beneath method towards the celebration.
The posts generated intense blowback and controversy, significantly from the federal government ranks.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman had stated the submit was “alarming” and the PTI was “constantly fueling the narrative of hatred and incitement” by evaluating Imran to Sheikh Mujib.
The posts had been harshly criticised in a gathering of the PML-N normal council at the moment the place Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lashed out on the PTI founder, saying: “Imran Khan’s ugly face has been uncovered. He defames the Pakistan Military.”
Political maverick Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar had additionally stated the submit was akin to “deceptive the youth of at the moment”.
Responding to the criticism, the PTI earlier at the moment stated Imran had solely requested folks to learn the report and didn’t examine himself with anybody.
In an extended submit at the moment, the celebration denounced the heated criticism towards it as “toxic false propaganda marketing campaign of the mandate-thief authorities”, including that the celebration had referred to the occasions of 1971 solely to study from historical past.
It stated the celebration and Imran didn’t imagine in handing out labels of treason.
In a video interview later at the moment, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan elaborated on the meant that means and goal of the incendiary social media submit.
“It was simply our [meaning about the] political context,” he stated, including {that a} celebration’s mandate and majority had been modified in 1971, much like the PTI’s allegations concerning the present election outcome and authorities.
“Generally issues are exaggerated. Imran Khan has nothing to do with this [post] as a result of he didn’t see its content material or different issues.”
He stated Imran was in jail and “doesn’t approve each video or context”.
Barrister Gohar reiterated that simply because the submit talked about the fee report or its contents, “it shouldn’t be interpreted on this context as if we’re towards them (the military) or that we’re [the matter in] a army context. Our model of the situation was political context [then and now].”
Speaking about entry to social media within the nation and its consumer statistics, Gohar stated simply because a submit was seen on social media on a selected day, “it doesn’t imply {that a} celebration has orchestrated a marketing campaign. The PTI doesn’t a run a marketing campaign towards anybody at any time.”
In a subsequent X submit, Gohar reiterated: “Our comparability of 1971 was in political context … see what occurred to the nation in 1971 which is being carried out now. That is our narrative,” including that the PTI was not the Awami League and nor was Imran Sheikh Mujib.
The incarcerated former prime minister has drawn comparability to the occasions of 1971 earlier than as properly.
In April, drawing a parallel between present developments in Pakistan with the circumstances resulting in the 1971 Dhaka tragedy, Imran had warned that the current scenario might end in financial collapse, reminding the powers that be that international locations and establishments couldn’t survive with no secure financial system.
“In 1970, military chief Yahya Khan wished a hung parliament, however when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s celebration bought a transparent majority military held a fraud by-election during which 80 seats of Awami League had been snatched as Yahya Khan wished to turn into president,” Barrister Salman Akram Raja had stated, whereas narrating the PTI founder’s message throughout a presser on the Nationwide Press Membership after the celebration’s authorized staff met Imran in Adiala Jail.
In March, Imran had said that it was the ‘stolen mandate’ of East Pakistan that was behind the 1971 tragedy, including that the nation couldn’t survive with out political stability.
In November 2022, Imran had compared his wrestle for ‘actual freedom’ with that of Sheikh Mujib and reminded that the nation had cut up into two after a political celebration with a authentic political mandate was denied its proper to rule.