PM instructs cabinet to adopt aggressive approach against PTI

• PM Shehbaz chairs cabinet's consultative session in capital.
• Premier instructs to highlight shortcomings, failures of PTI govt.
• PM called PTI leader "heartless", "minions" recently.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday instructed cabinet members to adopt an aggressive approach against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) narrative.

In the session, according to sources, the PM discussed the government's future political strategy with his cabinet — including federal ministers, advisors and special assistants.

Sources told that the government has decided to highlight PTI's political and economic failures during their four-year tenure in the federal government. 

The PM further ordered the government's narrative to be spread among the masses, especially on social media, sources said.

The prime minister has been on an offensive against the PTI for a while now, a demonstration of which was seen in his press talk on Monday. 

He called the PTI leaders "heartless" and "minions" in the press conference primarily focused on Daily Mail's apology to him. 

In the press conference alongside federal cabinet members, the prime minister said: "They thought that if this damaged Pakistan's reputation, it won't matter. They wanted to embarrass the Sharif family no matter what."

The prime minister said when the article was published in 2019, PTI's ministers were upbeat about the publication of the article and started levelling baseless allegations against the Sharif family.

The PM also called Khan's sale of the gift watch "a cheap move", adding that nobody can deny that the watch was not sold after the evidence that has come to the fore.

"I do not use the word 'fraud', but this is what Imran did. The shop owner — whose receipts that PTI showed relating to the watch — has also clarified that it is not his handwriting on the receipt," PM Shehbaz said.

The prime minister called for "introspection" to understand how did such a person rule Pakistan, who did not only commit "fraud", but hurt Pakistan on two important fronts — foreign policy and economy.

Daily Mail's apology 

PM Shehbaz received a much-awaited apology and withdrawal of each and every allegation of corruption from publishers of the Mail newspapers last week over an article by reporter David Rose that had accused him and his son-in-law Imran Ali Yousaf of stealing British taxpayers’ money.

The British publication also removed the article — “Did the family of Pakistani politician who has become the poster boy for British overseas aid STEAL funds meant for earthquake victims, asks David Rose” — written by David Rose from all platforms of Mail publishers.

The United Kingdom-based publication has failed to prove the allegations levelled by its journalist David Rose in an article against the premier about the alleged misappropriation of public funds.