PTI rejects DG ISPR’s claims, labels remarks ‘politically charged’

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) reacted to the top military spokesman’s press briefing, calling his remarks ‘politically charged’.

In a statement issued on X, the party said attempts were being made to cast doubt on the PTI, despite the fact that under its government, Pakistan had improved four ranks in the Global Terrorism Index, moving to ninth place. “In the last three and a half years, Pakistan has fallen from ninth to second place in the index,” it added.

The party’s statement ended by criticizing DG ISPR for ridiculing a provincial leader who has made significant sacrifices in the fight against terrorism at a time when Pakistan continues to face increasing threats.

In another post, the party described it as “two back-to-back political press conferences” and said all that was achieved was a response from Pakistanis, who shared earlier clips and data points countering the claims. PTI said the press conference was “totally rejected.”

Separately, Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, reacted to DG ISPR’s remarks linking the rise in terrorism to the policies of the KP government, calling the allegation “shameful”. She asked, “Which of our people supports terrorism? It is not right to talk like this about patriotic Pakistanis.”

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja described DG ISPR’s remarks as a failed attempt to create a narrative. “People know the truth; you can’t fool everyone all the time. This attempt should stop. People understand why terrorism exists,” he said.

He further recalled that a jirga had been convened a month ago in the KP Assembly, with the participation of representatives from all districts and political groups. “Everyone spoke openly and it is clear to everyone why there is terrorism, why there is unrest and why there has been bloodshed in KP. You cannot hide behind your own rigid statements,” he said.

Former Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan also criticized the briefing and questioned its democratic legitimacy. “What kind of democratic system is this where DG ISPR shows media pictures and speeches of the leadership of a single province and party, engages in political commentary against them and issues threats?” he asked.

Earlier, DG ISPR said that 80 percent of all terrorist incidents in the country have happened in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He attributed the trend to what he described as a ‘politically permissive environment’ for militants and a burgeoning ‘nexus between political and militant elements’ in the province.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, the top military spokesman said the prevailing environment had allowed extremist groups to organize, build facilitation networks and repeatedly challenge the state’s demands, with implications for the country’s overall security situation.

During the briefing, DG ISPR strongly criticized PTI and its leadership over their stated stances on counter-terrorism. He played video clips of senior PTI leaders, including KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, and showed screenshots of statements attributed to PTI founder Imran Khan questioning what he called their narrative of the fight against terrorism.