Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday hit out at the PTI for “anti-state propaganda” on social media, saying the former ruling party was “conspiring against the country and state institutions”. In a press conference, Sanaullah said that the party founded by Imran Khan is trying to create political instability in the country. He said the anti-government propaganda had been launched as planned. He revealed that the ongoing talks between the PTI and the government have stalled due to the unavailability of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the country. Sanaullah said the NA spokesman was on a foreign trip, adding that talks would resume once he returned to the country. After months of political wrangling, the two sides held two negotiating sessions on 27 December 2024 and 2 January 2025. However, the unexpected delay in the third round of talks has sparked speculation about the future of the PTI government. Attacking the former ruling party, the prime minister’s adviser said PTI was spreading “telling of lies” on social media platforms. Referring to the PTI’s claim of causality during the November 26 protest and the facility of jailed former prime minister Imran in Rawalpindi Central Jail, he said the Khan-founded party was deliberately spreading false propaganda. Taking a dig at PTI, he said the former ruling party shared a picture of a Palestinian ambulance on social media and claimed its supporters were being killed. The former security czar said that Aleema Khan — the PTI founder’s sister — had alleged that a plan was being hatched to poison the former prime minister in jail. But in a recent leaked video, she talked about politics and political mileage, he added. “PTI founder is being provided all facilities as per jail manual. The prime minister’s aide accused the PTI of hatching a conspiracy against the country and state institutions. False propaganda is being spread against the government according to a well-thought-out plan, he said, adding, “PTI is trying to create political instability in the country. They had no evidence to support their claims but propaganda on social media, he added. An aide to the prime minister said PTI was unlikely to share their demands in writing. In response to a question, he clarified that the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption reference against the former prime minister and his wife had nothing to do with the dialogue process. He stressed the need for a national dialogue to ease political tensions in the country. Meanwhile, the NA spokesperson regretted the criticism of PTI leaders in the backdrop of meeting the former prime minister in jail. “I want to make it clear that my role is to facilitate dialogue between the government and the PTI. He further stated that arranging a meeting with the PTI founder was not his mandate or responsibility.
