Pakistan PM Imran Khan a 'religion exploiter': Opposition PML-N

Lahore, Jan 18: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the country's main Opposition party on Tuesday dubbed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan a "religion exploiter" for using religious concepts and reforms only as a cover-up for the massive governance and economic breakdown in the country.

Reacting to Khan's article "Spirit Of Riyaasat-e-Madina:Transforming Pakistan" in the local media on Monday, the PML-N leaders chided the cricketer-turned-politician for using religion for political gains and toxic populism.

"Really concerned with the way the prime minister is using religion as a cover-up for the massive governance & economic breakdown the country has suffered in decades due to his policies," PML-N President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said in a tweet.

"Such a self-serving approach will wreak greater damage upon the polity than is being understood," he lamented.

PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Imran Khan is a "religion exploiter as he is using religious concepts and reforms only for political gains and toxic populism."

"Imran's article is like hiding in a mosque after committing major theft. Imran's shameless strategy of hiding behind religion and desecrating the name of Islam, Riyaasat-e-Madina (the state of Madina at the time of Prophet Muhammad pbuh) and holy names are aimed at hiding his looting, plundering, incompetence and incapacity," she said.

The former federal information minister said only a "megalomaniacal, egotistical, stubborn, and arrogant person living in denial could write such a self-righteous article."

"Imran's mental state of denial and desperation to save his sinking boat is exposed by this article after ruining the country in three years in power," the PML-N leader lambasted.

Imran and his government is the living manifestation of everything the Riyaasat-e-Madina was not and advised against. It is rich that a person who takes pride in his bigotry and hypocrisy has the audacity to talk about Riyaasat-e-Madina. The ruler remained asleep 20 kilometers away from Murree where dozens died, and has still not visited the victims' families, should keep his mouth shut about Riyaasat-e-Madina, Aurangzeb said.

She said it takes a special kind of delusional state of mind and shamelessness to write about social justice after butchering 220 million people with unbearable inflation and rising unemployment. "This was a petty and unsuccessful attempt to mislead the nation, Imran, the poster boy tried," she said.