• Rana Sanaullah says Imran Khan and other PTI leaders will be arrested if probe points out they planned an anti-military smear campaign.
• Says Imran Khan’s disqualification is unavoidable in Toshakhana case.
• Says PTI wants neutrals to sit in government again like 2018.

The PTI leadership will also be arrested if an investigation proves that Shahbaz Gill’s anti-military narrative was determined by them, says Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

He also said that PTI Chairperson Imran Khan will be disqualified thanks to his misdeclaration in the Toshakhana case.

On August 9, the Islamabad police officers arrested Shahbaz Gill for “inciting the public against state institutions”, according to the spokesman of the Islamabad police.

On August 10, a court in Islamabad granted a two-day physical remand of the PTI leader to the federal capital’s police. Speaking to the media before his court appearance, Gill said that he was not “ashamed” of his statements.

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Saath’, Rana Sanaullah said, “Even in his speech today, Imran Khan supported Shahbaz Gill’s narrative.”

The minister said, “A narrative was hashed out, which was given a go ahead in a political meeting of the party. Later, they liaised with a news channel, ARY, to air it.”

He was referring to the anti-military rhetoric that permeated social media platforms after six personnel of the armed forces embraced martyrdom in a helicopter crash in Balochistan.

He said the narrative attracted the Pakistan Penal Code’s sections 120, 124 and 131 accordingly, a case was registered against him [Gill] and he was arrested later on.

The minister said no other PTI leader has so far been arrested. However, as soon as the inquiry is complete and evidence points to them, they will be arrested and action taken against the channel as well, he said.

He said the state sought legal advice after Gill’s statement circulated on social media and then it lodged a complaint that resulted in his arrest. Gill is in a lockup and he has been offered all legal rights as per rules, he said.

Responding to a query about his claim regarding the “planned social media campaign”, Sanaullah said six people have been identified. The investigation process related to 78 others is still underway, he said, adding that a letter has been written to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for 120 others.

There is no doubt that this trend was created and driven by the PTI, he asserted. The minister said they [the PIT-affiliated people] have also levelled an accusation regarding the drone that even Afghanistan has avoided.

Rana Sanaullah said Imran Khan is creating rifts in the nation and misleading the youth of this country.

“Imran Khan said that he can sit with the killers of Pakistani citizens but not with his opponent politicians,” he said.

He said Imran Khan himself spawned hatred in the country and he has been spreading since 2014.

Sanaullah further said Imran Khan cannot escape lifetime disqualification in the Toshakhana case, until the Supreme Court’s verdict that disqualified Nawaz Sharif for life is valid.

The PTI, he said, wants neutrals not to remain neutrals.