The PTI emphatically deplored “ridiculous” remarks by the military spokesperson against ex-premier Imran Khan, saying he was “not a security threat”, and lamented the weakening of democracy in the country following the passage of recent constitutional amendments.
In a blistering press conference on Friday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed Imran for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat”.
Responding to the DG ISPR’s accusations in a press conference today at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said: “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.”
Raja said there were many narratives in the country, including along ethnic and sectarian lines, yet Imran had rejected all of them to stand with the narrative of Pakistan, along with PTI’s supporters and voters.
“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 KP and remove its elected government to install an unelected setup, then you yourselves will be responsible for the conditions that follow.”
Raja termed the DG ISPR’s press conference “unfortunate” and added that the party will not answer the accusation and charges levelled against the PTI founder.
“Today we are being told that the country’s most popular leader is a national security threat, which is ridiculous, but this has not been said for the first time.”
Referring to the establishment’s manoeuvring against former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in the 1990s, Raja said: “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.”
Raja elaborated that he wanted to set the context for everyone, noting that there have been countless times in the country’s history when it was pushed from democracy toward force and authoritarianism.
Referring to previous military dictatorships in the country, he said prosperity was always promised, and yet, they all ultimately failed.
The general secretary of the party said it was claimed multiple times during the past that democracy, law and the Constitution does not suit the country, and needs a stick, but the “ruler always left it weaker than before”.
Raja lamented that the party was frequently criticised as a ragtag group without understanding of affairs and what heights the country was being taken towards.
However, the PTI secretary general questioned whether the country needed to be forcibly developed through the use of power, noting that if this were the case, it would have already happened during previous periods of military rule.
