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.
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”.
TTAP leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, PTI provincial president MNA Junaid Akbar, KP CM Afridi, provincial ministers, MNAs and MPAs addressed the rally.
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”.
The party announced another rally in Kohat on December 14.
Political figures assail PTI, Imran for ‘anti-army rhetoric’
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, meanwhile, took to X and assailed the PTI founder, stating that it is justified to call any individual “delusional” or “mentally ill” if they target the state in pursuit of political interests.
“Behind the response given in the DG ISPR’s press conference lies the incessant hate-mongering rhetoric of that person and his followers, for which there is no parallel in Pakistan’s history,” the post read.
Asif also condemned the PTI’s attempt to create divisions between the armed forces and their leadership and stated that “no effort contrary to the country’s dignity, sovereignty, and national security” would be allowed to succeed.
“The criminal sitting in Adiala cannot be permitted under any circumstances to toy with the country’s stability,” he wrote.
Earlier today, several political figures belonging to different parties — including PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal and Hanif Abbasi, PPP’s Sarfaraz Bugti, and the leadership of MQM-P — showed solidarity with the armed forces of Pakistan. They slammed Imran and the PTI for spreading propaganda against the armed forces and attempting to hatch an alleged conspiracy against the country.
“Political differences are part of any democracy—but when politics crosses the line into anti-state narrative building, deliberate misinformation, and attacks on the integrity of Pakistan’s Armed Forces and its leadership, it threatens the stability, security, and unity of the country,” Iqbal wrote on X.
MQM-P Chairman Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the PTI was continuing its politics of hurling allegations, and instead of choosing the right forum to address those allegations, it was “creating political instability in the country.”
Bugti, addressing a press briefing, said that Imran was “spreading propaganda against the armed forces and maligning them in line with the agenda of hostile agencies,” calling it “an intelligence-driven war against Pakistan”.
Meanwhile, Abbasi echoed Lt Gen Chaudhry’s words and called Imran a “mental patient“. He also assailed the PTI founder’s family for giving interviews to Afghan and Indian media.
