Imran Khan has lashed out at Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif for ‘presenting’ the PML-N as liberal and singling out PTI for links with religious groups at the recent Asia Society talk on the sidelines of the 72nd UNGA session in New York.
“Confusion between PML-N and it’s ally JUI-F: Kh Asif tells Asia Society in US difference between PML-N and PTI, is [that] N is liberal and PTI [is] allied to religious groups,” Imran tweeted on Friday.
Confusion btwn PMLN & it's ally JUIF: Kh Asif tells Asia Society in US diff between PMLN & PTI is N is liberal & PTI allied to religious gps
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 29, 2017
“Absurd and amusing since Maulana Fazlur Rehman of JUI-F has accused PTI of being [a] Jewish lobby!”
Absurd & amusing since Maulana Fazlur Rehman of JUIF has accused PTI of being Jewish lobby! https://t.co/GddOfTI6oj
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 29, 2017
Earlier in the day, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said links between the PTI and the “Jewish lobby” were no secret.
The PTI is allied to religio-political Jamaat-e-Islami in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sometimes inviting criticism from certain quarters who see a visible divide between the two on the basis of former’s appearance as a liberal party.
In a recent interview, Imran had criticised the US’ new strategy for Afghanistan, saying the US should negotiate with the Taliban instead of “aiming to destroy it”.
In 2013 the PTI chief had invited the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to open their office so that peace talks could progress. He argued that if the US could open offices for the Afghan Taliban in Qatar, why couldn’t Pakistan do the same.
Then in 2015, Imran had welcomed dialogue between Afghan Taliban and the government in Kabul saying such issues could only be resolved on the table.
Meanwhile, the centre-right PML-N has an alliance with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) since 2013, and had also advocated talks with the Taliban in 2014.
