Matiullah Jan's tweet draws criticism

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 11 December 2020

Journalist Matiullah Jan has criticized Prime Minister Imran Khan's handling of the Senate elections amid rising Covid-19 cases. His tweet has sparked backlash and controversy regarding political motivations and public health.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—Journalist Matiullah Jan has asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to postpone the Senate elections for three months if he is so worried about people’s health following the increase in Covid-19 cases.

After demanding postponement through a tweet in Urdu, Matiullah maintains the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf government is an outcome of “political engineering.”

اگر وزیر اعظم عوام کی صحت کے بارے میں فکر مند ہیں تو سینٹ انتخابات کو تین ماہ کے لئیے موخر کریں۔ عوام جانتی ہے کہ سینٹ کے انتخابات ہو گئے تو سیاسی انجینئیرنگ کی پیداوار موجودہ عذاب حکومت سینٹ میں اکثریت ملنے کے بعد آئین میں خوفناک آمرانہ ترامیم کے ذریعے عوام پر نیا عذاب لائے گی۔

— Matiullah Jan (@Matiullahjan919) December 10, 2020

In his speech on Thursday, Prime Minister Khan asked the opposition parties’ alliance—the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)—to postpone their rallies for three months. The elections for the Upper House of the parliament are scheduled for March 2021.

Matiullah feared that if PTI gets a majority in the Senate, it would bring in horrible constitutional changes to make people’s lives miserable.

A staunch opponent of the prime minister and the PTI, Matiullah had to face severe backlash for his tweet. Many termed him a supporter of the opposition political parties while others said his hatred for the prime minister knows no bounds. Still, others maintained the journalist had lost his mind.

KEY POINTS:

• Matiullah Jan calls for a three-month postponement of Senate elections.
• The Prime Minister asked the opposition to delay their rallies for the same period.
• Jan fears PTI's majority could lead to oppressive constitutional changes.
• His tweet drew significant criticism, labeling him as overly critical of the government.
• Debate arises over the implications of political engineering in Pakistan.