PTI boycotts govt briefing on India row

Standing firm against Indian aggression and renewing its call for national unity, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday announced its decision to boycott a key national security briefing convened by the federal government amid escalating tensions with India following the deadly Pahalgam attack.

The party publicly declared its intention to skip the session ahead of the scheduled briefing.

In a statement issued after a meeting of its political committee, PTI reiterated its long-standing condemnation of terrorism "in all its forms, manifestations and expressions".

The statement noted that PTI's founding chairman, Imran Khan — who the party claims remains unlawfully detained — has continued to speak to the nation from behind bars, consistently denouncing terrorism while emphasizing the importance of unity, cohesion and internal stability.

The committee described Imran Khan's messages as self-explanatory, saying that the resolve he demonstrated reflected "the mindset of a true national leader.

According to the party, its position on national defence is as clear as day: in the face of any external aggression, PTI would be on the front lines to safeguard the country and its people.

The stance, it recalled, had been reiterated on its foundation day through a formal resolution, in which the party had laid bare its principled position on Indian propaganda and aggression.

The statement said the reaffirmation demonstrated PTI's serious and unwavering commitment to national security, sovereignty and unity, and its readiness to shoulder responsibility at all levels.

Given the gravity of the current situation, the party said, the government should have wasted no time in convening an all-parties conference (APC) to take all stakeholders into confidence and chart a united course of action.

"Unfortunately," the statement noted, "the government missed this opportunity. No APC was held, and instead, a unilateral briefing is now being offered by a federal minister".

PTI maintained that Imran Khan had always championed institutional harmony and political stability and never stood for disunity or political point-scoring.

The upcoming briefing, the party said, showed no serious intent to build national consensus, nor any willingness to include Imran Khan, a key national figure.

"For these reasons," the statement concluded, "PTI does not deem it necessary to attend the government briefing. Taking all these factors into account, the committee has unanimously decided that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will not participate in the government's planned briefing."

'Conditional patriotism'

Reacting to PTI's decision, Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif strongly criticised the party, saying that linking national unity and solidarity to Imran Khan's release or participation was nothing short of political myopia.

"This amounts to making patriotism conditional," he said.

Asif recalled that during the Pulwama episode, much of the opposition leadership had been jailed "at Imran Khan's behest".

"Even then, the leadership that was not jailed participated in a briefing called by Imran Khan, despite his refusal to sit with us. Still, we did not disrupt national unity."

"The homeland and its security are far more important than personalities and leadership," the defence minister said.

"Pakistan will endure till eternity, God willing," he added. "Great and revered leaders have come and gone, leaving behind their legacies. Nations, however, live on."