ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Saturday said national harmony was needed to uproot the monster of terrorism but Imran Khan’s lust for power was creating hurdles in achieving that.

Talking to a private media channel, he said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) avoided building a national consensus against terrorism by refusing to participate in the All Parties Conference (APC) called in the wake of Police Lines Peshawar tragedy. While condemning the Karachi terror attack, the minister said the time has come to move beyond condemnation against terrorism.

The government’s top priority was to control terrorism and deal with the economic crisis and it had kept all political differences and instability aside to achieve those endeavours. Answering a query, the minister said Jail Bharo Tahreek should not be for workers only. Imran Khan advised all party workers to surrender themselves for the Jail Bharo Tehreek, but he himself was hiding in his home and calling his workers to reach Zaman Park and save him (from arrest), Khawaja added.

He said, “Instead of getting pre-arrest bail and whining to the media, Imran should put his words into practice for the honor of politics.”