By Shazia Anwer Cheema
Pakistan’s internal law and order situation created by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) cult is now being handled by the state institutions in the same way states handle irritants and illegal activities in any country. PTI goes to the next level by fabricating their self-created situation as they are being the victim of the situation.
PTI has launched an overseas website in which it states that “State fascism is the great threat to our society and must take actions to put an end to it, the increasing repression of dissenting voices, censorship, and police brutality are some of the examples of violations that we are witnessing on daily basis. It is time for us to come together and demand that our voices being heard. We must send a clear message to those in power that we will not tolerate this kind of injustice any longer”.
In reality, PTI cult exercising fascism and disregards the constitution, legal framework, and rights of fellow citizens of Pakistan, PTI cult is burning the properties of fellow citizens and damaging the integral emotional affiliations of Pakistan and their claim that they are victims of fascism is unsubstituted.
After this concocted message, it is very clear that culprits have decided to play the victim role, PTI workers are demolishing properties and looting their fellow citizens upon the call of their cult leader whose self-indulgence and greed for power triggering him to provoke his followers to create civil unrest.
The damage caused to the public property by the workers of PTI on May 9, during violent protests only in Rawalpindi has been estimated to be worth more than Rs145 million, according to a report compiled by the Rawalpindi Commissioner’s inspection committee while other divisional departments are compiling their the damage reports.
Another attack on Pakistan by PTI Cult via instigating overseas Pakistanis—No one in Cult is allowed to exercise the Freewill
After all Imran Khan with his all visible insolence declaring that his protestors are peaceful, this damage and destruction is yet another conspiracy against him. The state of Pakistan is dealing with the law and order situation the way every sovereign state must. No state can allow delusionary charged political workers to burn buildings, radio stations, police check posts, bus stops, ambulances, memorials, and monuments, PTI followers attacked each and everything especially associated with the pride and identity of Pakistan.
![The demagoguery of charismatic politicians—A leap from the “Imran Khan Cult” to “Imran Khan Faith”](https://dnd.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Imran-is-spiting-fire-against-Pakistan-jpg.webp)
It was a premeditated and calculated move and planning was done months ago in case Imran Khan faces criminal charges against the financial crimes he has allegedly committed. I totally consider it Pakistan’s internal matter but PTI followers and PTI leadership now instigating his overseas followers to start malignant propaganda about Pakistan.
![](https://dnd.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WhatsApp-Image-2023-05-18-at-23.59.02-jpeg.webp)
As I am referring to a PTI member of parliament Andleeb Abbas and her launched website provides a mechanism for telling a fabricated story contrary to the fact. As I firmly believe that PTI cult followers are in a kind of trance as all cult followers usually are, so they cannot exercise their free will. The website is suggesting to write an email to overseas politicians about the situation in Pakistan.
It is not strange to see that the text of the proposed email has also been written by PTI’s propaganda brigade. If an overseas Pakistan is supposed to tell the situation of Pakistan why cannot she or he write an email by him or herself?
But feeding the target information has been provided in the form of a draft and PTI overseas followers who, without understanding the depth of the content of the draft, are directed to send it blindly. They even without realizing that this act is an attack on the sovereignty of Pakistan will now follow the instruction of the Cult Leader— Imran Khan.
Let us come to the content of the draft crafted by PTI in fact there are two versions of the draft—one for Pakistanis living in the United Kingdom and the second for those living in the USA but there are instructions that they can amend line “UK” add their respective country and change “Your prime Minister” with “Your President” or “Your Parliament”, “Your Congress” etc.
Let me share the preamble of the draft of the email with you:
“I am writing to call you for urgent attention to Pakistan’s deteriorating human rights situation and to seek your support in highlighting this critical matter with the state department, the appropriate congressional committee, diplomats, and officials.
You may have seen coverage on international media of state brutality inflicted on former prime minister Imran Khan’s supporters, who were gathered around his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.
Large contingents of not police descended upon the area on March 14 and launched a vicious attack, using water cannons, laced with chemicals and hundreds of tear gas shells. The assault lasted nearly 24 hours……………”
The preamble is lengthy but the part mentioned above can give readers an idea of the text.
The draft given for email is as follows:
Subject: UK-Help Stop Human Rights Violations
…….in Pakistan on a peaceful protest march to the capital city, Islamabad Imran Khan survived the attack but sustained four bullet wounds to his legs. On March 8th, the body of an autistic young man was dumped outside Services Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. The autopsy report shows that he died of horrific injuries, including a fractured skull intracranial bleeding lacerated liver and spleen, damage to his testicles, and other injuries caused by blunt force trauma Ali Bilal was on his way with thousands of supporters to an election campaign rally called by Imran Khan’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Participants of the rally were subjected to vicious police brutality. They were baton charged and tear gassed, their vehicles deliberately damaged by police, and many were arrested Bilal was one of them.
Many independent journalists, analysts, and medical professionals believe Bilal was tortured while in custody and died. His father tried to register a case against police and officials, but local authorities did not cooperate. This is not the first case of custodial torture, or even murder, in Pakistan under the installed regime.
A 74-year-old Senator Azam Swat, was arrested under a controversial cybercrime law for posting a tweet critical of Pakistan’s power He was taken to an undisclosed location naked, and on the Army Chief’s instructions he was stripped naked and tortured, with the entire ordeal recorded on video. A secretly recorded video of his intimate moments with his wife while they stayed in a government guest house in Quetta Some years ago was anonymously sent to his daughter threatening the video would be leaked if Senator Swati continued to raise his voice against the establishment.
Arshad Sharif, an investigative journalist critical of Pakistan’s illegitimate movement, was murdered In Kenya Mr. Sharif had left Pakistan after being threatened with dire consequences if he refused to tone down his criticism of the installed regime and their backers and stop his investigation
As a citizen of the UK with family/friends residing in Pakistan, who believes in freedom and civil liberties, I am writing to draw your attention to these atrocities. The Pakistani-British community is highly concerned about democracy and increasing evidence of an authoritarian, military-backed government oppressing citizens and denying them the right to vote by delaying constitutionally mandated elections.
I urge you as someone who believes in fundamental human rights, to press upon the Prime Minister to take immediate action by calling on the installed regime to:
- Cease unlawful acts used to remove his political
- Stop political victimization
- Immediately stop human rights violations on free press and peaceful protesters.
- Hold fair and transparent elections per Pakistan’s Constitution and allow the election process to occur peacefully
In this message of PTI to overseas Pakistanis, there are several loaded, concocted, fabricated, and unsubstantiated statements are found that should be reviewed for fact checks.
The draft of the email claims:
Large contingents of not police descended upon the area on March 14 and launched a vicious attack, using water cannons, laced with chemicals and hundreds of tear gas shells.
Fact: contingents of not police she is referring to Pakistan Rangers that are an official para-military force works under the Ministry of Interior with provinces as “riot police” kind of work. Instead of using the word “Rangers” which is a common, normal official force, she uses the word “contingents of not police descended”, creating doubt in readers that this could be Pakistan’s regular military.
Draft claims that “Khan survived the attack but sustained four bullet wounds to his legs”.
Fact: Medical report after an alleged attack on Imran Khan he refused to allow government hospital doctors for Medico-legal Case Report and he got a report from a hospital owned by Imran Khan–Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital that is not authorized to do medical findings of a case of criminal nature but PTI had a government in the province of Punjab where this alleged attack happened so the government did not push him for a medical checkup/report from a government hospital. Interestingly even doctors of his own hospital rejected that his leg had four bullets and they said there were two micro-objects of metal, not bullets.
Draft narrates a fabricated story about the alleged arrest and alleged killing of one Bilal who was a PTI supporter. The draft claims that many independent journalists, analysts, and medical professionals believe Bilal was tortured while in custody and died.
Fact: Bilal died in a road accident and the driver submitted him to the police and explained the whole scene of the accident and video confession of the driver is available and it was shown by all television channels in Pakistan.
Draft claims that a “74-year-old Senator Azam Swati, was arrested under a controversial cybercrime law for posting a tweet critical of Pakistan’s power He was taken to an undisclosed location naked, and on Army Chief instructions”.
Fact: he was not arrested in any controversial cybercrime law. He was arrested under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) which is a law amended by PTI itself. On February 18, 2022, the PTI introduced an ordinance amending the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA) to make online “defamation” of authorities, including the military and judiciary, a criminal offense with harsh penalties. So it is neither a controversial law nor unknown to PTI lawmakers because they themselves made this law.
Moreover, the draft claims that Senator Azam Swati was subjected to torture under the orders of the Chief of the Pakistan Army. How can someone accuse someone without any evidence substantial or circumstantial? He was arrested by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) which is the authorized force under the law made by PTI to arrest accused persons under cybersecurity laws.
Draft claims that Arshad Sharif, an investigative journalist critical of Pakistan’s illegitimate movement, was murdered in Kenya Mr. Sharif had left Pakistan after being threatened with dire consequences.
Fact: How can a government be called “illegitimate” came into being by voting out PTI in National Assembly through a Vote of No-confidence against former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Moreover, Imran Khan himself in more than two speeches said that he sent Arshad Sharif out of Pakistan and that Arshad was wanted by FIA under cybersecurity law but his escape was managed from Peshawar Airport which was under the jurisdiction of KPK province where PTI had a government. Moreover, video evidence showed that Arshad Sharif reached the airport with security provided by the KPK government and he managed his escape from passport control by KPK government officials and everything is recorded in airport security cameras.
The draft claims that military-backed government oppressing citizens and denying them the right to vote by delaying constitutionally mandated elections.
Fact: PTI itself dissolved provincial assemblies of KPK and Punjab provinces and the announcement for dissolving assemblies were done by Imran Khan himself. Now general elections are scheduled to be held in October 2023. Moreover, claiming that PDM is a military-backed government is contrary to fact because PDM voted out Imran Khan in National Assembly when he lost the majority of the House because his party member of the National Assembly got leaked information that Imran Khan was planning to disband the parliamentary system in the country by announcing a referendum for Presidential form of government on August 14 (Independence day of Pakistan), 2022 so they left him to save Parliamentarian system that is their political lifeline.
PTI’s entire propaganda campaign is based on conceptual blending by using one true proposition while the second proposition is always fabricated and contrary to the fact. However, the state media management and information machinery are weak and have actually failed to counter sheer propaganda, line by line and point by point so there is nobody practically available in the state system to counter the propaganda that is being used to defame Pakistan at the global level.
It is very alarming the demagoguery of a charismatic cult leader is controlling his follower’s free will to the limit that they are not allowed to write an email discussing their own social rights.
Note: Writer Shazia Anwer Cheema is an author, columnist, and foreign affairs expert who writes for national and international media. She is a doctoral student and researcher in semiotics and philosophy of communication at Charles University in Prague. She can be reached at her: Twitter @ShaziaAnwerCh Email: shaziaanwer@yahoo.com
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article/Opinion/Comment are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk (DND). Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk News Agency.