PTI says Imran 'not a security threat'

ISLAMABAD:

Breaking their silence with a tone carefully kept between caution and candour, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Saturday pushed back against the military spokesperson's censure, saying that while the party would not respond in kind, but sought to clarify that the jailed Imran Khan was not a "security threat" and expressed deep disappointment over the "inappropriate words".

PTI leaders, while striking a controlled and conciliatory tone, also said that after standing squarely with the armed forces during the Mar War, they had expected a turn towards calm. However, the party now feared that tensions were being stoked further.

They stressed that their demands had shrunk to the bare minimum, as where they once sought the release of the jailed party supremo, they were now pleading simply to be granted a meeting with him as they anticipated that "minus-Imran" would be akin to "minus-everyone".

While stressing that their reply was no tit-for-tat but an appeal to steady the ship before matters spiral beyond anyone's grip, the party cast its defence as a plea to pull the country's already skittish political landscape back from the edge. It argued that the combination of being denied access to Imran and the aggressive rhetoric had pushed the political system toward "dangerous volatility", stressing that both sides need to concede space, set aside ego and avoid a descent into confrontation.

Addressing a news conference at Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali said the party was not seeking "to retaliate with stones for bricks", but stressed that it had become necessary to speak plainly because "accusations are being hurled at us" and the public "must know what has happened to us".

Warning that prolonging the current confrontational posture risked bringing about "not minus-one, but minus-everyone", he said the country deserved a chance to move toward stability.

He recalled that Imran had "always said the country is ours and the army is ours" and that the PTI had stood by the military during wartime. "After all this, we thought things might improve," he said. "But yesterday's press conference caused deep disappointment. The words used were inappropriate."

He warned that "some people seem intent on provoking conflict" and urged that "egos will have to be set aside and space will have to be given to one another".

"Meetings with Imran Khan are being denied and cases are not being heard. Until recently, our narrative was to release Imran Khan. Now we simply say: allow a meeting."

"If things continue like this, democracy will be shredded," the PTI chairman feared.

He said that PTI remained the country's largest political force, led by a man with the support of "70 per cent of the nation". However, he lamented how the party had been whittled down to 76 seats from 180 seats, its reserved seats taken, and its women and children targeted. However, he said PTI had endured "for the sake of democracy and the country".

'Another dark moment'

Salman Akram Raja, speaking alongside Gohar, said Pakistan's chequered history was replete with dark moments when it was thrust into coercion, recalling that a long-standing dictum dominated the political rhetoric that the country needed "the coercion to progress".

"We know what followed such thinking," he said. "Karachi saw bodies in gunny bags. This region has blood, gunpowder, weapons… but no welfare."

He argued that repeated claims that "democracy doesn't suit Pakistan" had only left the country weaker each time. "Where does Pakistan stand today?"

The party's secretary general also recalled the establishment's manoeuvring against former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in the 1990s. "The institutions decided again and again that any popular leader of the people is a national security threat and it is necessary to remove them from the scene, but this did not happen. You cannot remove them from the hearts of the people through your decisions. The nation has always been aware and there is a reason it is standing behind Imran Khan. We are not mad, we know who has always been in control in this country."

"Do not drive away the people of Pakistan, they stand with Imran Khan and the PTI. Imran Khan is not a national security threat. He has kept the people united."

"For God's sake, don't do this. You will not be able to minus Imran Khan, but God forbid if you do, it will be very difficult to keep this country's interests united. If you attack K-P and remove its elected government to install an unelected setup, then you yourselves will be responsible for the conditions that follow."

The party's secretary general also appeared to criticise PTI's own social media supporters for demanding retaliation. "We are sitting because the country is dear to us and we don't want discord in the country," he said.

Furthermore, he accused the state of launching an unprecedented assault on the Constitution and the rule of law with the 26th and 27th amendments. "Pakistan is the only country where a Constitution exists, but the principles the world has accepted are ignored here. How can one officer become a substitute for an independent judiciary?" he asked.

He lamented that the SC had previously granted PTI its reserved seats, only for it to be undermined later "as though it were a district court".

"Was Pakistan created for this? Quaid-e-Azam repeatedly told the military leadership that they would not participate in politics."

'Pakistan belongs to its people'

The lawyer said Pakistanis were "aware and always will be", adding that the country had long been held captive by narrow interests. "What use is development if your son cannot find a job?" he asked. "We need people-centric politics."

He argued Pakistan could not prosper if it remained cut off from regional trade. "Countries trade with their neighbours. We have issues with Afghanistan, trade with Iran is stalled, and India is a separate story altogether."

Raja further stressed that the people's voices must echo in parliament. "Until the public resonates in the assembly, their welfare is impossible." He said the PTI was not sitting before the press "to respond point-by-point" to the military's briefing.

"If you attack our mandate and remove governments, then you alone will be responsible," he warned. "If something you heard upset you, we are ready to talk." The PTI remained "the country's largest force for welfare", and no challenge could be met without it. "Institutions and the people must move together. We do not want chaos."

'Imran gave this country dignity'

Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said he had been with Imran Khan for 30 years and had seen him in "many difficult circumstances". He recalled the party collecting donations for Shaukat Khanum Hospital and said he supported Imran because "he had a vision".

"Imran Khan is a star," Qaiser said. "He gave this country respect and identity." He condemned any suggestion that Imran Khan could be erased or labelled a security risk. "He is struggling for the people's true freedom."

Qaiser said anger and grief were running deep in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "The entire province feels insulted," he claimed, calling on authorities to withdraw "those words".

He said he was a teacher and many of his students served in the armed forces. "We want a strong army. Soldiers and police officers are martyred every day. Everyone knows the situation with India and Afghanistan. Do you want to ignite a political turbine? This leads the country toward anarchy."

Qaiser stressed the party's demand for democracy. "We want democracy; our senior leadership is in Kot Lakhpat Jail. FIRs have been lodged against 64,000 of our people; 34,000 have been arrested. Still, we say: this country is ours."