PTI says Imran ‘not a security threat’

ISLAMABAD:

Breaking their silence with a tone carefully balanced between caution and honesty, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Saturday pushed back against the military spokesman’s vote of no confidence, saying that while the party would not respond in kind, it sought to clarify that the jailed Imran Khan was not a “security threat” and expressed deep disappointment at the “inappropriate word”.

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. But the party now feared that the tensions were set in motion further.

They stressed that their demands had shrunk to the barest minimum as, where they once sought the release of the jailed party supremo, they now simply asked for a meeting with him, anticipating that “minus-Imran” would be akin to “minus-all”.

While stressing that their response was not a call but a call to steady the ship before matters spiraled beyond anyone’s grasp, the party framed its defense as a plea to pull the country’s already lopsided political landscape back from the brink. It argued that the combination of being denied access to Imran and the aggressive rhetoric had pushed the political system towards “dangerous volatility”, stressing that both sides need to concede space, set aside egos and avoid a descent into confrontation.

At a press 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 out because “accusations are being hurled at us” and the public “needs to know what has happened to us”.

Warning that prolonging the current confrontational stance risked creating “not minus-one, but minus-all”, he said the country deserved a chance to move towards stability.

He recalled that Imran had “always said that 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 could get better,” 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 put aside and space must be given to each other”.

“Meetings with Imran Khan are being denied and cases are not being processed. Until recently, our narrative was to release Imran Khan. Now we are simply saying: allow a meeting.”

“If things continue like this, democracy will be destroyed,” the PTI chairman feared.

He said the PTI remained the country’s biggest political force, led by a man with the support of “70 percent of the nation”. However, he lamented how the party had been cut to 76 seats from 180 seats, its reserved seats taken and its women and children targeted. However, he said PTI had persevered “for the sake of democracy and the country”.

‘Another Dark Moment’

Salman Akram Raja, speaking alongside Gohar, said Pakistan’s checkered history was filled with dark moments when it was plunged into coercion, recalling that a long-standing dictum dominated political rhetoric that the country needed “coercion to progress”.

“We know what followed such thinking,” he said. “Karachi saw corpses in gunny bags. This region has blood, gunpowder, guns… but no welfare.”

He claimed that repeated claims that “democracy does not suit Pakistan” had only left the country weaker each time. “Where does Pakistan stand today?”

The party’s general secretary also recalled the establishment’s maneuvering against former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in the 1990s. “The institutions decided time 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 why it is behind Imran Khan. We are not mad, we know who has always been in control in this country.”

“Don’t drive away the people of Pakistan, they stand with Imran Khan and 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 the interests of this country united. If you attack KP and remove its elected government to install an unelected setup, then you yourselves will be responsible for the conditions that follow.”

The party’s general secretary also appeared to criticize PTI’s own supporters on social media for demanding retaliation. “We are sitting because the country is dear to us and we do not 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 accepted by the world are ignored here. How can an officer become a substitute for an independent judiciary?” he asked.

He lamented that the SC had earlier given PTI its reserved seats, only to be undermined later “as if 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 trapped by narrow interests. “What good is development if your son can’t find a job?” he asked. “We need people-centered politics.”

He argued that Pakistan could not prosper if it remained cut off from regional trade. “Countries trade with their neighbours. We have problems with Afghanistan, trade with Iran has stalled and India is a completely separate story.”

Raja further emphasized that the people’s voices must resonate in Parliament. “Until the public resonates in the assembly, their welfare is impossible.” He said the PTI did not sit in front of 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 anything you heard upset you, we’re ready to talk.” PTI remained “the biggest welfare force of the country” and no challenge could be solved without it. “The institutions and the population 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 deleted or labeled as a security risk. “He fights for the true freedom of the people.”

Qaiser said anger and grief ran deep in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The whole province feels offended,” he claimed, calling on the authorities to withdraw “these words”.

He said he was a teacher and that 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 is leading the country towards anarchy.”

Qaiser emphasized the party’s demand for democracy. “We want democracy; our top leadership is in Kot Lakhpat jail. FIRs have been filed against 64,000 of our people; 34,000 have been arrested. Yet we say: this land is ours.”