Marriyum Aurangzeb/File photo 

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb hit out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Monday, asking the leader how he would answer the courts when he could not even answer MNA Ayesha Gulalai over her allegations of misconduct.

The minister questioned whether the PTI chief finally felt ashamed after appearing before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) earlier today, which is hearing four cases against him including the 2014 attack on the state television building, the Parliament and then SSP Operations Asmatullah Junejo.

?Imran sahib, don?t become a [contractor] for the Model Town tragedy; first answer why you attacked the Parliament and assaulted the police,? Aurangzeb said.

?You are still standing on containers while a thousand schools have closed down in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to low enrollment,? she continued, pointing out that if he ?really cared about [eliminating] corruption then he would not have shut down accountability commission in KP province.?

The minister further alleged that Imran Khan is making the noise simply to ?hide away corruption of his government, ministers and himself.?

She added that a punishment for the PTI chief in the cases against him is ?much awaited?.

The ATC hearing the cases against Imran Khan today dismissed his request to quash the terror charges and send the case to a lower court.

As the ATC resumed hearing the cases, Khan?s counsel, Babar Awan, pleaded before ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand to remove the terrorism clauses from the charges against his client.

ATC dismisses Imran Khan's plea to quash terror charges

The ATC is hearing four cases against the PTI chief regarding the violence during the 2014 protest sit-in

He said protesting for one's rights, with slingshots and sticks, is not terrorism but a democratic right.

However, the state prosecutor said there is solid evidence against the PTI chief of instigating party workers against the state.

The court then dismissed the plea and ordered the PTI chief to appear before it at the next hearing on December 19.