Gohar calls for dialogue and de-escalation; expresses disappointment with pressure from DG ISPR

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has called on pro-democracy forces to play their role in reducing tensions, expressing disappointment over ISPR Director General’s press conference, during which he called former Prime Minister Imran Khan a “threat to national security”.

In a post on He stressed that defense of the country was paramount and asserted that the PTI’s discourse “has never been and will never be against the state”.

He added that it was deeply regrettable that state institutions and political leaders were labeling each other as “mentally unstable” or presenting each other as threats. “Pakistan is ours, and the army is also ours. We have demonstrated this in practice and will continue to do so,” he said.

Calling for restraint, he said this was the time for all parties to recognize each other, create space for engagement and work to overcome the current trust deficit, while calling on all democratic forces to play their role in reducing tensions.

Read: DG ISPR slams Imran’s ‘anti-army’ speech, calling it ‘national threat’

Gohar also warned that the behavior of “some non-stakeholders” should not worsen relations between the PTI and state institutions. Referring to the incarceration of PTI founder and Bushra Bibi, he said allowing meetings with them could help “move things towards improvement”.

“The country cannot afford more tension and chaos,” he warned, calling on all political actors to act responsibly to ensure national stability.

His statement followed Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry’s hard-hitting press conference earlier in the day in which he criticized the incarcerated former prime minister and his party, warning that no one would be allowed to incite the public against the armed forces.

Speaking to reporters in Rawalpindi, DG ISPR spoke of a “creeping threat to national security”, which the army said required urgent attention. He said the threat emanated from the “delusional state of mind of a delusional person who has become a captive of his own ego, thinking that his wishes are greater than those of the State of Pakistan”, in a clear reference to Imran Khan.

“Who are you? What message do you want to send? Who do you think you are?” he remarked.

Read also: Tarar says PTI has blocked all its accommodations, no negotiations possible now

Highlighting what it described as the growing influence of an individual, the DG ISPR added: “A person’s ambitions are bigger than the state itself. The armed forces serve as a shield between the public and extremist ideologies. The political relevance of this individual has ended; he should concentrate on his own politics and keep the military at bay.”

He highlighted the strategic role of Pakistan’s armed forces in protecting the country against internal and external threats, saying attacks on the army only weakened national security. “It is the armed forces that stand between the Hindutva mentality in India and their hegemonic conception, and the people of Pakistan. It is these armed forces that stand between the khawarij, the terrorists, Fitna al-Khawarij, Fitna al-Hindustan operating from Afghanistan,” he said.