LAHORE/Pind Dadan Khan - Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry has clarified that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments about slain Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden as “martyred” was a “slip of the tongue.” The Information Minister also said that the government’s position regarding the terrorist entity is quite clear. Speaking to a private news channel, Fawad Chaudhry said, “Pakistan has voted in the UN on the War on Terror (against militants), we are a voter on a [UN] list that declared Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda terrorists,” he said. “Pakistan has sacrificed the most in the war against terrorism.” 

“It was a slip of the tongue. He had clarified it,” the minister said while referring to the premier’s remarks.

In June last year, while speaking about the country’s relations with the United States in an all-encompassing speech in the Parliament, Prime Minister Imran had stated Pakistan had to face a lot of “humiliation” despite supporting Washington in the ‘war on terror’ and was then blamed for the US’s failures in Afghanistan.

While recalling an incident that he said caused “embarrassment” to Pakistan, the premier had said: “The Americans came to Abbottabad and killed, martyred Osama bin Laden. What happened after that? The entire world cursed at us and spoke ill of us.”

PM’s statement calling OBL a martyr was ‘a slip of tongue’

At that time, the opposition had strongly criticised PM Imran Khan for his remarks. The controversy surfaced again last week when Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi refrained from calling Osama bin Laden a terrorist in an interview with Afghanistan’s Tolo News.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Sunday said Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Zardari was even oblivious to his party position in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) as only eight candidates were contesting the upcoming elections of AJK Legislative Assembly on PPP tickets. In a tweet, he said the speech of Bilawal Zardari has clearly revealed the reality that he (Bilawal) does not know about his party’s position in AJK. He recalled that Bilawal Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Ms Maryam Nawaz had run their respective parties’ election campaigns crazily in the last elections of Gilgit-Baltistan. However it was revealed subsequently that not even one third among the total aspirants were contesting the elections on the tickets of both PPP and PML-N at that time.

Also, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said Prime Minister Imran Khan has introduced an anti-corruption narrative and launched political struggle against corrupt elements some 21 years ago.

Addressing a public rally at Pind Dadan Khan, he said former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari fooled the people for many years.

Earlier, power was transferred between two political families and the competition between the two for grabbing powers. Imran Khan introduced a new culture and developed a new political narrative that he would neither do corruption nor allow anyone to do so. Right now projects worth billion of rupee were being executed without the reports of receiving any kickbacks. PTI government was determined to spend country’s resources on people.

He said PPP Co-Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz have no political achievement other than heredity and yet they are dreaming of ruling the country.

He said Pakistan’s Armed Forces and judiciary stand with the civilian government and country’s political atmosphere testifies that Imran Khan’s would form the government again after 2023 elections also.

Pakistan Army officers and soldiers are united to defend the beloved country. He thanked the people of Khewra and Pind Dadan Khan for according rousing welcome to him. He said the people of the constituency reposed confidence over Imran Khan on merit in the general elections of 2018.