Khawaja Asif slams PTI for denying its involvement in May 9 riots

• Khawaja Asif says people speaking on videos not "angels or aliens".
• Asks Raoof Hasan to not "blatantly deny" party's involvement.
• Deny what can be logically denied, defence minister tells PTI.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said most of the circulating videos related to the May 9 violence were "proudly" made byPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) itself, stating that those involved in the riots were the party's own workers and not "angels".

The minister added that the video messages recorded outside the General Headquarters and Corps Commander House in Lahore were inciting people to join the riots.

"Those who were speaking [on the videos] were not angels or aliens, they were their [PTI] workers," he said, adding that the inciters also included former Punjab health minister Yasmeen Rashid and other female PTI leaders.

The defence minister's comments, during his appearance duringGeo News programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath', came in light of PTI Information Secretary Raoof Hasan's reaction to the presser byDirector General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.

A day earlier, DG ISPR held a presser in Rawalpindi during which he refuted the possibility of dialogue with any faction involved in the May 9 violence.

"No talks will be held with any political leader, or group which attacks its own army and indulges in propaganda [against them]... There can be no dialogue with an anarchist group," the DG ISPR said.

The military official noted that the "only way forward for the anarchists [group] is to apologise sincerely [for their acts], abandon the politics of hate and indulge in constructive politics [instead]".

"Talks are for political parties, not institutions," the spokesperson maintained.

The PTI spokesperson, on the other hand,sought evidence to prove PTI’s involvement in May 9 riots and termed the presser "full of contradictions".

Raoof said not a single flowerpot was broken by the PTI crowd of millions, claiming that the party’s founder Imran Khan is in Adiala jail for no wrong on his part and that he has always held the army in high esteem.

Meanwhile, Khawaja Asif said PTI should either deny that the conversation is also dubbed or someone else has said what was heard in the videos.

The minister further asked the party's Information Secretary Raoof Hasan to not "blatantly deny" his party's involvement in the May 9 riots.

Deny what can be logically denied, he said, adding that denying something that has been proven beyond doubt will raise questions on his own credibility.

The defence minister maintained that the party should also then deny the condemnation of May 9 issued by PTI stalwarts and their revelations regarding Khan not paying heed to their suggestions.

"Why don't they own or disown what happened on 9th of May," the minister questioned.