Stern Warning to PTI, PPP Reaches the Limit of Its Tolerance

Hassan Murtaza's Press Conference:

Editor

9 hours ago

Lahore: Pakistan Peoples Party Central Punjab General Secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza issued a stern warning to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Tuesday, declaring that the party had reached the absolute limit of its patience and would no longer tolerate what he described as a campaign of abusive rhetoric directed at senior political and state figures.

Addressing a press conference at the Peoples Secretariat in Model Town alongside PPP Central Deputy Secretary Information Ayesha Nawaz Chaudhry,

Central Punjab Deputy Secretary Information Ahsan Rizvi, Rao Babar Jameel, Zeeshan Shami, Hassan Ashraf Bhatti, Hassnain Rajput, and others, Hassan Murtaza spoke at length about the escalating tensions between the two parties on social media.

Without naming the founder of PTI directly, Murtaza offered pointed advice, saying that what was needed was wisdom rather than eyesight, suggesting that vision problems had been cured before — alluding to a previous incident involving a leg injury attributed to Rangers — and expressing confidence that the matter would resolve itself fully, in a veiled political jibe.

Murtaza formally declared that the press conference marked a turning point, stating it was the last occasion on which the PPP would refrain from discussing the personal lives and family affairs of PTI leadership. He warned that going forward, the party would respond in kind, making public all available information about the scandals already circulating on social media. He made clear that the PPP would not maintain an apologetic posture any further.

Describing the last couple of days as a "storm of impudence," Murtaza said that President Asif Ali Zardari had not been given an appropriate response on social media, and accused PTI's online following of being a cult rather than genuine political workers. He stressed that his remarks were directed solely at political activists and not at what he termed "zombies."

Murtaza forcefully condemned the mudslinging directed at slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, calling it absolutely intolerable, while simultaneously praising Bakhtawar Bhutto for independently deleting a tweet she had posted. He said this act demonstrated the fundamental difference between a mature political leadership and a party driven by an anarchic mindset.

Holding up a copy of Reham Khan's book, which he said remained in his possession, Murtaza made clear he was fully capable of reading out its contents page by page and line by line if provoked. He stated, however, that it was not his responsibility to disclose details about living conditions, diet, or recreational facilities available in anyone's cell — another thinly veiled reference to the PTI founder's imprisonment.

Murtaza accused PTI of spending two to three decades turning politics into an exercise in abuse, arguing that the party sought to further erode public trust in state institutions. He stated that the PPP, by contrast, had always believed that institutions must be strengthened. He questioned whether PTI supporters would dare use on social media the kind of language directed at women if they were speaking to their own mothers, sisters, or daughters, and asked what lessons future generations of women would draw from such conduct.

Turning to the Pakistan Army, Murtaza asked PTI critics whether they had forgotten that it was the Army's intervention that prevented the country from going bankrupt during their government's tenure. He said he neither praises nor vilifies the army, describing it simply as a national institution. He warned that anyone who disrespects the memories of martyrs and their monuments would find no one standing beside them.

Touching on the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murtaza condemned the targeted killings of Shia Muslims and the deadly bomb blasts in the province, and reminded his audience that the PPP had historically borne immense suffering — including imprisonment, solitary confinement, public hangings, and floggings — in its struggle to change the system.

He also took a brief moment to urge the government to ease the burden on citizens during the upcoming month of Ramzan, saying that petroleum prices should not have been increased and should not be increased going forward.

Responding to media questions, Murtaza alleged that PTI's anonymous social media accounts were being operated from abroad, adding that the PPP had never encouraged abusive language and did not do so now either.

PPP Central Deputy Secretary Information Ayesha Nawaz Chaudhry echoed his sentiments, stating that Bakhtawar Bhutto's decision to delete her tweet was a reflection of her upbringing and character, and that Benazir Bhutto had shown women like her that politics was not the exclusive domain of men.

Deputy Secretary Information Ahsan Rizvi stated that a section of what labels itself Generation Z in Pakistan has reduced itself to nothing more than issuing abuse online, drawing a sharp contrast between the daughters of Bhutto and those who dance at protest sit-ins. He formally announced that the PPP was serving notice that henceforth, abuse would be met with abuse and stone with stone.

Also present at the press conference were Neelam Jabbar, Rao Babar Jameel, Zeeshan Shami, Hassan Ashraf Bhatti, and Hassnain Rajput.