India marketing Imran Khan’s narrative: PPP leader

Islamabad:  Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) spokesperson Faisal Karim Kundi has called Imran Khan a “foreign-funded leader who is marching with a foreign agenda”, media reports said.

Kundi, while criticising Khan, said that India — the ‘enemy’ of Pakistan — is marketing the former Prime Minister’s rhetoric, The News reported.

“(Imran Khan) Niazi cannot mislead the nation by making statements against Bhutto,” said the PPP leader.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that there are close to 3,000 people with the PTI chief in Muridke.

Addressing a press conference in Sialkot, Asif said that the PTI is playing into the hands of India with its long march, The News reported.

He added that 98 per cent route of the march lies in Punjab, while only 6-7 km falls in the federal government’s territory.

Meanwhile, Khan, the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said on Sunday that his party is with the Pakistan Army and wants it “to be strong”, Express Tribune reported.

The former premier made these comments during his address on the third day of the ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ march to Islamabad.

The former ruling party has been critical of the security establishment with Khan criticising the Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), whose Thursday’s press conference he has denounced during his addresses on the first and second day of the march.

In his message to the establishment on Sunday, Khan, however, refrained from his criticism of the ISI DG.

“India don’t misunderstand, we stand with our army,” he said, adding that the neighbouring country is celebrating after ISI DG’s press conference as it believes the army and Imran Khan are having “a face-off”, Express Tribune reported.

“I want to tell India that this army is ours and I can never go against it,” the former Prime Minister said.

He added: “When General [Pervez] Musharraf removed these two corrupt parties [PML-N and PPP], people had distributed sweets because they were tired of their theft.”IANS