LAHORE: Disgruntled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) has condemned the May 9 vandalism of Jinnah House (Lahore Corps Commander House) and held PTI workers responsible for the attack on a state building.
“Such incident should not have happened; however, stern action should be taken against the culprits,” he said while talking to the media after visiting the Lahore Corps Commander House here on Monday.
Tareen said that the vandalisation of Jinnah House, a historic landmark symbolising the legacy of the country’s founder, was an unthinkable act of destruction. To a question, he said that the protestors with PTI flags barged into Jinnah House and they never denied their political affiliation; they all were PTI supporters and now it was up to PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his leadership to decide how they would approach the unfortunate incident.
“May Allah guide people and bless them with wisdom and understanding. There was no excuse for the act, such things should not happen again in Pakistan’s history,” he added.
He expressed his dismay, saying that political leaders have been punished in the past, but such despicable incidents never took place.
“No one could have imagined that Jinnah House would be subjected to such devastation,” he lamented and called for unity and urged those responsible to reflect upon their actions.
Expressing his resolve, Tareen asserted: “We will not allow such incidents to occur again. Together, we shall stand firm against those who aim to jeopardise our national heritage and undermine our shared identity. Those responsible for these incidents should face severe consequences.”
Talking about his visit, he expressed that he got the chance to visit Jinnah House today and it had deeply saddened him to see how the place was treated.
Talking about his past with the PTI, Tareen said: “I gave 10 years of my life to the party. We wanted to create a new example of a new country. There was no violence of this kind in any of PTI’s gatherings before. I had political affiliation and friendship with Khan; however, his relationship with him (Khan) ended two years ago due to personal reasons.”
He also lauded the armed forces for standing on the borders and defending the country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023