‘Internal forces’ threatening country’s stability

PTI condemns DG ISPR's 'political sermon' as overstepping into political terrain

ISLAMABAD:

PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan on Saturday sounded the alarms that Pakistan was embroiled in a state of internal conflict, asserting that while the country faced no external aggression, it battled against “internal forces” jeopardising its stability.

He alleged that attempts were being made to consolidate power under “one man’s rule”, eroding the constitutional and legal norms.

Speaking alongside fellow PTI leader Shoaib Shaheen at a press conference, Hasan condemned the recent statements by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif, labelling them a constitutional breach and accusing the military of overstepping into political terrain.

Referring to the press conference as a "political sermon," Hasan said that such actions undermined the apolitical stance mandated for such institutional bodies. He cautioned that such deviation from constitutional principles was increasingly weakening the state.

"The sanctity of our constitution and laws has been violated over the past two years," he lamented, decrying a decline in moral standards and the erosion of institutional integrity.

Hasan lamented the continuous targeting of PTI, its unjust classification as an anarchist group, and the nationwide observance of May 9 as a black day, during which PTI members were arrested.

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"Can there be a bleaker chapter in a nation's history than its fragmentation?" he asked, alluding to the 1971 Fall of Dhaka. "Has anyone apologised for this? Has anyone attempted to uncover the reasons behind it to this day? Has anyone apologised to the nation for that black day, as the apologies are being sought from PTI?" he asked while responding to the demand from the DG ISPR for an apology for the May 9 riots.

He further questioned the trajectory in which the nation was being led, asking why the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, despite the fact that it was compiled, was unjustly withheld from the public eye.
Referring to the Abbottabad commission, he asked why its findings remain undisclosed to this day.

The PTI leader urged for introspection and demanded a national apology instead of pressuring PTI to apologise for actions it did not commit.

Highlighting the unjust burden placed on PTI, he asserted that the party should not be expected to apologise, especially considering the assassinations of three prime ministers in the nation's history, for which he questioned the absence of formal apologies.

He noted that the DG ISPR has shown a willingness to establish a commission to investigate the 2014 sit-in and the attack on PTV.

However, the PTI leader clarified that while the party was prepared for such an inquiry, it also insisted on probing the circumstances surrounding the alleged regime change, the controversial placement of cameras in bedrooms, and numerous other unresolved matters.

In response to a question, Hasan said that the party's founding chairman Imran Khan has been in jail for nine months even though the possibility of striking a deal with the establishment has existed. He said while offers had indeed been made and acknowledged that while the option to negotiate was there, PTI remains committed to its political struggle.

It's noteworthy that the PTI leader once again responded to the recent statement by the DG ISPR during a press conference that any potential dialogue with the PTI hinges on three conditions: a sincere apology to the nation, a commitment to constructive politics, and an abandonment of anarchic political tactics.

This is the PTI's latest response to the hard-hitting press conference, where it has once again declined to offer an apology and instead demanded one.