The PTI on Sunday stated that “further attempts to malign” party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan in a bid to diminish his popularity would only cause his popularity to rise with each narrative orchestrated against him.
The party presented its stance during a rally held at Peshawar’s Sports Complex, where its leadership was joined by its political ally, the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP). Both parties expressed their solidarity with Imran as they took exception to the recent remarks made against him, urging that “those responsible be held to account” to prevent similar remarks in future.
Speaking to the participants of the rally, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai said that undemocratic elements were apprehensive of the struggle of genuine political movements like the TTAP and PTI, prompting them to resort to using “improper language”.
“Pakistan is our country, and we will make all efforts to save it from disintegration,” Achakzai said, adding his party and its allies wanted a Pakistan “where no one harms others, where people with different schools of thought could live together peacefully, and this country moves forward with constitutional supremacy and rule of law”.
He also warned against a governor’s rule in KP, saying that such a move would lead to negative consequences.
Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, while addressing the rally, said that the PTI was not responsible if peace had not returned in the region due to the state’s security policies.
He added that since taking the oath as chief minister, he fulfilled all legal and constitutional obligations, but a different narrative was being built up against him, and elements were trying to show the world that PTI has adopted confrontational politics.
A resolution passed during the rally stated, “We, the people of Pakistan, consider Imran Khan a national hero and the elected and genuine prime minister of Pakistan, who was elected by the people on February 8, 2024. We categorically reject that he or his associates are in any way a threat to national security.”
The resolution, moved by PTI MNA Sher Ali Arbab, stated that the party recorded its strong protest against the recent remarks against Imran.
It said that such a language against a political leader was “against the principles of civil supremacy of Quaid-i-Azam”.
The PTI also condemned how those with dissenting political opinions were called “a growing threat to national security”.
Their statement came in reference to a press conference held on Friday by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, during which he assailed the incarcerated PTI founder 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”.
