'Ridiculous allegations': PTI condemns ISPR DG's remarks about Imran Khan

• PTI calls accusations against Imran unfortunate.
• Leaders warn against sidelining PTI founder.
• PTI chief demands unrestricted jail meetings.
  

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday denounced the comments made by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general about party founder Imran Khan during his press conference, describing them as "unfortunate" and "ridiculous".

ISPR DG Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in his fiery presser a day earlier, criticised the PTI founder and his party for promoting an "anti-army rhetoric", while calling Khan "mentally ill" and a national security threat.

"Today, we are told that the country's most popular leader is a national security threat, which in itself is ridiculous," PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja said while addressing a press conference at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad alongside party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and senior party leader Asad Qaiser.

"There is a reason the people of Pakistan are standing behind Khan," he said, adding that the PTI founder's supporters were not "mad" or "possessed" and do have common sense.

"We are not sitting here to respond to yesterday’s press conference. It was an unfortunate address that offered no narrative warranting a reply — it was just allegations."

Raja reiterated that the former prime minister was "not a national security threat", saying that the PTI founder had kept the country's youth united.

He cautioned against attempts to "minus Imran Khan", saying: "God forbid, if you do, it will be very difficult to keep this country united."

"If you attack KP and remove its elected government to install an unelected setup, then you will be responsible for the conditions that follow."

While he emphasised that the PTI was ready for dialogue, Raja said that the people of KP and their chief minister should not be mocked or insulted.

"It is easy to respond to the brick with a stone, but we will not do it because the country's benefit is not in this," he added.

‘Unfortunate for democracy’

Prior to his talk, the PTI chairman called for de-escalation, describing the ISPR DG’s remarks as "unfortunate for democracy".

"It was unfortunate that a senior officer would use such language against a political party, its leadership, and the KP chief minister," he said.

Barrister Gohar maintained that the differences between the PTI and the institutions would only have pleased the country’s adversaries.

He said that there were "some people trying to incite clashes between the workers of a major party and officials of a major institution".

There is still time for the "tone to be eased", he said, adding that such incidents should never occur in the future.

Barrister Gohar called for meetings with Khan at Adiala jail to be allowed without restriction, saying that the matter of his meeting with his sisters should not be politicised.

Referring to the former premier's cases, he said that the PTI had begun its movement for its founder’s release and was now reduced to asking for meetings with him.