PTI rejects DG ISPR’s claims, calls comments ‘politically charged’

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) responded to the chief military spokesperson’s press briefing, terming his remarks “politically charged”.

In a statement published on “In the last three and a half years, Pakistan has fallen from ninth to second place in the index,” he adds.

The party’s statement ends 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 growing threats.

In another post, the party described it as “two political press conferences in a row” and said all that had been gotten was a response from Pakistanis, who shared clips and past data contradicting the claims. The PTI said the press conference was “totally rejected”.

Meanwhile, Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, responded to DG ISPR’s remarks linking the rise in terrorism to the KP government’s policies, terming the assertion “shameful”. She asked: “Which of our people supports terrorism? It is not right to speak like this about patriotic Pakistanis.”

PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja described the 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 must stop. People understand why terrorism exists,” he said.

He further recalled that a jirga was convened a month ago in the KP Assembly, which was attended by representatives from each district and political group. “Everyone spoke openly and everyone clearly understands why there is terrorism, why there is unrest and why there was bloodshed in KP. You cannot hide behind your own rigid statements,” he said.

Former senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan also criticized the briefing, questioning its democratic legitimacy. “What kind of democratic system is this where DG ISPR shows media images and speeches of leaders of a single province and a single party, engages in political comments against them and makes threats? he asked.

Earlier, DG ISPR had said that 80 per cent of all terrorist incidents in the country occurred in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He attributed the trend to what he described as a “politically permissive environment” for activists and an “emerging nexus between political and activist elements” in the province.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, the chief military spokesperson said the current environment has allowed extremist groups to organize, build facilitation networks and repeatedly challenge state orders, with implications for the country’s overall security situation.

During the briefing, DG ISPR sharply criticized the PTI and its leaders for their stated positions 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 rhetoric on fighting terrorism.