Imran slams Sharifs for spending taxpayer money on ‘propaganda campaign’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Thursday accused the ruling Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) of launching a ‘massive propaganda campaign against political opponents funded by taxpayer money’.

In tweets sent out today, Khan said Pakistan has one of the lowest Human Development Index numbers in South Asia, but the federal government was busy spending public money to divert people's attention from the Sharif family's alleged offshore accounts and properties.

The PTI chairman's tweets apparently pointed to half-page advertisements published by the government in several national newspapers today.

The advertisement, appearing on the front pages of some newspapers, pointed to a clarification by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) admitting that they had incorrectly implied that the prime minister of Pakistan controlled an offshore company.  The advertisement calls on the government’s political opponents to apologize after the clarification.

Pointing to the advertisements, Khan accused the Sharifs of launching the ‘propaganda campaign’ to hide their corruption.

"Why are state institutions like NAB not taking note of this brazen misuse of public money by govt to defend corruption of Sharif family? Why can't Sharif family use its own money - the billions stashed abroad - for their propaganda campaign instead of misusing public funds?” he asked in the series of tweets.

Sharifs need to realise this is Pakistan - a democracy not a monarchy where the Sharif clan can rule with no accountability to the people.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 28, 2016