Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday slammed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the sons of former Prime Minister Imran Khan for allegedly acting against Pakistan’s national and economic interests by seeking a suspension of the country’s GSP+ status.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he claimed the PTI had failed to render any sacrifices for Pakistan. “What kind of sacrifice is stealing a watch? Taking foreign funding? Corruption of £190 million? What kind of sacrifice is this?” he said, referring to various allegations against Khan.
“In this country, politicians have given sacrifices beyond their means. There have been chants of ‘Pakistan Khappay’ to save the country,” he said. “Nobody wished for ruin to reach Pakistan because they themselves were ruined … shame on you,” he added.
Tarar maintained the government had invited Khan’s sons to visit Pakistan and their father using the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) and lamented that they had preferred “other” options. “You made up stories saying we would arrest you, but we said we would welcome you,” he said.
He also criticized the PTI’s economic policies, reiterating allegations the party had pushed Pakistan to the brink of default. “If the nation defaults, yes, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) will suffer, but more than that, it will be the common man who suffers,” he said. “The country’s white-collar workers, blue-collar workers, wageworkers—everyone would suffer,” he added.
Referring to the United Nations Human Rights Council addressed by Khan’s sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, as well as PTI leader Zulfiqar Bukhari, the minister alleged the party had once again attempted to undermine Pakistan’s European Union GSP+ trade status. Claiming the opposition party had undertaken similar measures in 2024, he dubbed it a deliberate effort to harm exporters and destabilize the economy.
“Criticism is everyone’s right, but the dignity of the country should not be compromised,” he said. “No political leader or party is bigger than Pakistan,” he added.
Tarar also referred to the presence of social media activist Arif Aajakia at Geneva, accusing him of engaging in conspiracies seeking to damage Pakistan’s image abroad. “Arif Aajakia runs campaigns for India in the U.K. Aajakia has always been seen spreading propaganda against Pakistan,” he claimed, adding Bukhari was also involved in “conspiracies against Pakistan.”
The information minister stressed that such conspiracies could not damage Pakistan, adding the country’s diplomatic role in the Middle East was gaining global recognition.
Kasim’s testimony
A day earlier, Kasim Khan had urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to intervene and press Islamabad for the immediate release of his father. “We ask this council and the OHCHR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights] to urge Pakistan to end this persecution immediately. They must comply with the U.N. Working Group’s opinion, and they must release my father,” he said, reiterating allegations of Khan’s detention in a “death cell.”
He also claimed the government had “deliberately” refused to process his and his brother’s visas. “Denying a prisoner’s children the right to see him is collective punishment. From the limited contact we had, I know my father is suffering,” he said, claiming Khan’s case was part of a broader pattern of oppression in Pakistan since 2022.
Kasim said Pakistan’s commitment under the GSP+ framework required it to uphold international human rights conventions. He alleged the government had kept his father in solitary confinement, denied him medical care and blocked family visits, violating treaty obligations. “My father’s life demands that we take action. We cannot stand by as his health deteriorates and he is kept away from us. That is the very least we can do for him,” he added.