Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, has dismissed claims of a political crisis in the country. He asserted that all state institutions are operating within their constitutional and legal mandates. Speaking on Friday, Siddiqui contrasted the treatment of former leaders Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari—who served jail terms—with the “unprecedented facilities” allegedly provided to PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The senator strongly condemned the May 9 violence, in which military installations and martyrs’ memorials were attacked, calling it a grave crime. He insisted that those responsible must face strict legal consequences. Siddiqui also pointed out that unlike Nawaz Sharif’s cases, which were directly decided by the Supreme Court without appeals, the accused in the May 9 incidents have legal avenues to challenge their sentences.
Siddiqui accused Imran Khan of playing a role in the resurgence of terrorism by facilitating the return of 40,000 Taliban militants, including members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He argued that foreign policy matters fall under the federal government’s jurisdiction and criticized KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for interfering in such affairs instead of focusing on law and order and corruption in his province.
Furthermore, Siddiqui claimed that PTI failed to deliver significant public welfare or development projects during its 12-year rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its four-year tenure at the federal level. He emphasized that governance should prioritize public service over political confrontations.