Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan distanced the party from former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s controversial social media post on the 1971 civil war and the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report, saying the post should be seen in a “political context”.
“The context and comparison that we drew with 1971 was in a political context and not otherwise — nothing about the army,” said Barrister Gohar in an interview with digital news outlet Azaad Urdu.
On May 26, Imran Khan’s account on X shared a video about the separation of East Pakistan along with a quote attributed to him: “Every Pakistani should study the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report and get to know who was the true traitor, General Yahya Khan or Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”
PTI Chairman said Khan was in prison and “does not approve every video or context”.
In the video, it was argued that the people’s mandate was not respected and the former military dictator was the one responsible for the country’s breakup.
The footage also showed the atrocities committed by the Pakistani military during the civil war when it conducted Operation Searchlight in 1971.
The post garnered backlash from fellow political leaders. PPP Senator Sherry Rehman had said the post was “alarming” and the PTI was “continuously fueling the narrative of hatred and incitement” by comparing Imran to Sheikh Mujibur Rehman.
Netizens also discovered an old tweet in which Imran Khan had disparagingly compared Nawaz Sharif to Mujib, a complete contradiction of his latest tweet.
