PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali appealed to pro-democracy forces to help reduce political tensions, expressing “disappointment” over a briefing by the military spokesperson targeting the party and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In a fiery press conference today, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, attacked Imran for creating and spreading “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now outside the realm of politics and had become a “threat to national security”.
Most of the DG ISPR’s 90-minute press conference focused on criticizing Imran, the party and its government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“This is the time for everyone to recognize each other, make space for each other and eliminate the lack of trust. I call on all pro-democracy forces to play their role in reducing tensions,” PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar said in a post on X, reacting to the military spokesperson’s comments.
Gohar said he had always hoped that tensions would ease and relations improve, but expressed that he was “disappointed” by the press conference held by DG ISPR.
“The defense of the country is paramount. The PTI narrative has never been and will never be anti-state. It is unfortunate when state institutions and political figures label each other as mentally ill or perceive each other as threats. Pakistan belongs to us, and so does the army; we have proven this in practice and will continue to do so.”
He also urged that the conduct of “certain non-interested parties”, without specifying who he was referring to, should not become a cause of tension between the PTI and the institutions.
Barrister Gohar said Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were imprisoned and the overall situation would improve if they were granted permission to join them.
“The country cannot afford tension and chaos,” Gohar concluded.
On a different note, PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja said, “A confrontational response is not a political strategy.”
Meanwhile, Shahid Khattak, Imran’s candidate for parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, said the insulting comments against KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi were an “insult to the entire Pakhtun nation and the tribal people”.
