ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar stated on Wednesday that the US Congress committee had fully exposed the "cipher drama" orchestrated by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder against the country, solely for his personal interests.
"The PTI founder's deceit and hypocrisy have been laid bare before the entire world today, as Donald Lu testified before Congress and labelled the cipher as a complete falsehood," the minister declared during a news conference here.
Tarar strongly condemned the PTI's actions, denouncing the party for its anti-state maneuvers, including the riots on May 9 and protests outside the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters aiming to disrupt Pakistan's talks with the global lender regarding the final review of the standby agreement.
"The PTI hired lobbyists in the US for a congressional hearing on the so-called regime change conspiracy, but its leader couldn't escape divine justice," Tarar remarked, citing the proverb "Man proposes and God disposes".
He said that hiring lobbyists in the US for the congressional hearing was solely intended to malign the country, but it was the PTI founder who ended up being declared a "certified liar".
Tarar highlighted that the US diplomat not only exposed the "cipher drama" but also expressed satisfaction with the credibility of the general election and women empowerment in Pakistan during the proceedings.
Tarar criticised the PTI for persisting with their false narrative on the cipher which, aacording to him, severely damaged Pakistan's diplomatic relations with other countries.
He pointed out that Pakistan's history rarely witnessed instances where a person jeopardised national interests to satisfy their ego.
Accusing the PTI founder of misleading the nation and causing severe damage to the country, Tarar referred to an incident where the PTI founder claimed his government was being ousted due to a foreign conspiracy.
"Today, he has been humiliated before the entire world through the televised congressional proceedings," Tarar added.
The minister also called out the PTI leader for influencing the youth negatively, stating that the leader gained nothing from lobbying, running smear campaigns against the country or orchestrating conspiracies against the people.
Regarding the cipher case, Tarar assured that the law would take its course, as it was being heard in the high court and at the appeal stage. He emphasised that the case demonstrated how the country's enemies benefitted from a conspiracy and were penalised as well.
Tarar also criticised those who only visited Pakistan during the PTI's government tenure and left afterwards.
Addressing another query, Tarar mentioned Shehbaz Gill's PhD degree from Malaysia on an HEC scholarship, saying that individuals who instigated people against the state for foreign agendas must be brought to justice.
Responding to another question, he slammed the protesters outside the IMF, questioning their understanding of the common man's problems while sporting expensive bags and shoes.
Tarar disclosed that austerity measures were extensively discussed during the cabinet meeting, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcoming the decision of cabinet members to forgo their salaries.
He noted that the cabinet members followed the prime minister's footsteps, who had a history of foregoing his salaries, perks and privileges during different tenures as the prime minister of the country and the chief minister of Punjab.