Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently behind bars after conviction on corruption charges, has reacted to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 unarmed, innocent civilians, most of them tourists.
However, Khan stopped short of condemning the brutal act and instead tried to draw political mileage from the tragedy.
Avoids blaming terror, targets Indian Government instead
In his first reaction to the horrific terror attack, on Tuesday (29 April), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader called the incident ‘deeply disturbing and tragic,’ yet chose not to denounce the terrorists responsible. Instead, he tried to divert attention by reviving old narratives, calling the 2019 Pulwama attack a ‘false flag’ operation, and trying to pin the blame on the Indian government.
He even remarked that Pakistan remains divided but has gotten united now due to India’s aggression.
Imran Khan pushes personal agenda from jail
Even from prison, Khan continued to push his local political agenda, calling the Shehbaz Sharif administration an ‘illegitimate government’.
‘It is high time to put a halt to all actions that are further polarising the nation,’ Khan said in a statement.
‘The state’s excessive focus on political victimisation at this critical time is deepening internal divisions and undermining the nation’s collective ability to confront external threats,’ he added.
Accuses political rivals of being soft on India
Khan also launched a personal attack on his political opponents Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari, accusing them of staying quiet about India due to their huge financial interests abroad.
‘It is naive to expect any strong stance from self-serving figures like Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari. They will never speak out against India because their illegal wealth and business interests lie abroad,’ Khan claimed.
‘They profit from foreign investments, and to protect those financial interests, they remain silent in the face of foreign aggression and baseless allegations against Pakistan. Their fear is simple, that Indian lobbies might freeze their offshore assets if they dare to speak the truth,’ he added.