- Information Minister insists 27th Amendment passed after a detailed debate and following all due process
- Slams PTI chief’s ‘politics of falsehood,’ labels the latter’s allegations against PM Shehbaz as baseless and disproven
- Says IB, CTD arrested handlers of Islamabad terror attack and probe progressing
- Questions PTI’s performance in KP, asks where major development projects are
ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday reaffirmed parliament’s status as the “supreme institution” with the exclusive mandate to legislate and amend the Constitution, insisting that the 27th Constitutional Amendment was approved after exhaustive debate and complete adherence to parliamentary procedure.
Speaking to reporters in Lahore after attending Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s 2017 defamation case against the PTI founder, Tarar said the proposed federal constitutional court—part of the Charter of Democracy vision—would ensure swift and affordable justice for the common man.
In response to queries on judicial appointments, he said selections would be strictly merit-based, free of personal likes or dislikes, and grounded solely in legal competence.
Tarar lauded the security forces for their “tireless efforts and sacrifices” in the fight against terrorism. He said the Intelligence Bureau and Counter Terrorism Department had arrested the handlers and facilitators behind the recent terrorist attack in Islamabad, adding that investigations were progressing.
He said Pakistan Army personnel had also successfully rescued 550 students from Wana Cadet College and eliminated all terrorists involved. The recent attacks, he noted, were aimed at soft targets as militants “no longer have the capacity to strike hard targets,” adding that Pakistan’s security apparatus remained strong and “peace will return to the country.”
The information minister sharply criticised the PTI founder, accusing him of building his politics on “falsehood and hypocrisy.” He said the PTI leader had repeatedly leveled baseless allegations against the prime minister, including the 2017 claim that PM Shehbaz Sharif had offered him Rs10 billion to withdraw from the Panama Papers case — an accusation Tarar said was “completely dismantled in court.”
He said the fabricated charge not only damaged the prime minister’s reputation but triggered a widespread propaganda campaign, echoed through newspapers and TV programmes.
Tarar also referred to a PTI supporter based abroad who, he said, had been declared false by a London court after making baseless accusations against the Pakistani military and other state institutions. The individual was ordered to pay damages as well as court expenses.
Citing a recent article in The Economist by journalist Owen Bennett-Jones, Tarar said the PTI founder’s decisions as prime minister were driven not by governance priorities or national interest but by personal biases and questionable influences. He claimed the PTI founder’s wife played a “significant” role in government decision-making under the guise of spirituality — from political appointments to foreign affairs — describing these choices as rooted in superstition rather than expert advice.
He said the international article had underscored PTI’s failure to consult experts on key economic, domestic and development matters. He recalled that during the PTI’s 2017 sit-ins, multiple false accusations were hurled, particularly at PM Shehbaz Sharif, and repeated at public gatherings such as the Parade Ground protest, a Shaukat Khanum event in Peshawar, and rallies at Karachi airport.
Tarar said global publications were now exposing how PTI’s governance was shaped by “fabricated narratives” instead of credible policy frameworks.
On the question of spirituality referenced in The Economist, he said Pakistan had renowned religious institutions like Jamia Azhar and the International Islamic University, yet there was no evidence to justify claims that state decisions were spiritually guided.
The minister also criticised PTI’s governance record in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, questioning how many major development projects the party had initiated during its tenure.
