ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif Wednesday stated that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders living abroad are engaged in activities harmful to the country.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Asif sharply criticised PTI figures based overseas, saying that those who once “looted Pakistan” are now living luxurious lives by collecting money from overseas Pakistanis. He claimed that these “fugitive” leaders are speaking against their own country from abroad.
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Asif said that if they have the courage, they should return to Pakistan and fight their political battles on home soil. He accused these individuals of lobbying in Europe against Pakistan’s GSP+ trade facility, calling it an act of hostility towards the nation.
The defence minister added that political leaders like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif also faced difficult political trials but never targeted national interests. They fought their political battles within Pakistan and paid the price, he said, but never thought of damaging the state or its people.
Asif further claimed that the founder of PTI and his team had previously attempted to push Pakistan towards default by writing a letter to the IMF, and are now allegedly lobbying at the international level to harm the country’s exports. He added that if such actions were taken by India, they could be understood as those of an adversary.
But when people who call themselves Pakistanis act against their own country, he said, they can only be described as “enemies of the nation and traitors.”
