By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced on Wednesday that it would convene a “national conference” later this month to unveil a “national agenda” aimed at addressing the country’s deepening political and economic instability, a move that underscores the widening rift between the PTI and the ruling coalition amid accusations of anti-state rhetoric.
The two-day gathering, set for Dec. 20-21, follows sharp criticism from the military’s top spokesman, who accused PTI founder Imran Khan of propagating an “anti-army” narrative that has evolved into a “national security threat.” Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry leveled the charge last week, escalating a public feud that has drawn in government officials and opposition leaders.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser, a former speaker of the National Assembly, disclosed the conference plans after a meeting of the party’s parliamentary group at Parliament House. Speaking to reporters outside the building, Qaiser described the event as a forum for the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) to rally political parties, bar associations, civil society groups, media representatives and other stakeholders. “The country was facing serious issues of instability and uncertainty,” Qaiser said. “Being an opposition alliance, it is the responsibility of the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) to invite political parties, bar associations, civil society, media and other stakeholders to get together for brainstorming and finding a way forward.”
Qaiser pointed to heightened tensions along Pakistan’s international borders and a slump in commercial activity, particularly in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Multinational companies have been leaving Pakistan,” he said. “TTAP is the only platform from which a message can be given that things can be streamlined. In the conference, we will provide a solution for ongoing issues and outline the way forward.”
The announcement follows an intensifying verbal clashes between the PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif defended the military’s remarks, noting that Khan had employed “harsh language” against opposition figures in the past and asserting that the PTI had no grounds to challenge the spokesman’s comments. PTI leaders, in turn, condemned the military official’s statements as “ridiculous” and insisted that Khan posed no security risk.
Earlier this week, the PTI warned that sidelining Khan from politics would only erode the broader political framework. Last week, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan offered a gesture of reconciliation, emphasising the need to “soften tones to break the political deadlock.” But Information Minister Attaullah Tarar rebuffed the overture, declaring that no negotiations would occur with the PTI and that any potential talks would be confined to parliament, without Khan’s involvement.
Khan, the former prime minister, has been imprisoned in multiple cases since his ouster in 2022, a period that has seen PTI’s ties with both the government and the powerful military establishment fray dramatically. Protests organised by the party have often turned violent, met with aggressive state responses including arrests and crackdowns.
The political turbulence has also ensnared the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally of the PML-N in the federal coalition. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday rejected calls from some PML-N ministers to ban the PTI over its alleged “anti-state” and “anti-army” stance, while stopping short of full support for the opposition party. “I am not in favour of banning any political party, but the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must improve their conduct,” Bhutto-Zardari told reporters in Lahore.
He clarified that neither he nor the PPP had advocated for governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI holds power, but warned that “any interference in ongoing counterterrorism operations could create serious problems.” If a party were to “become a facilitator for terrorists,” he added, imposing governor’s rule “might become unavoidable.”
The debate over potentially ousting the provincial government gained momentum after State Minister for Law Aqeel Malik revealed that the federal authorities were “seriously considering” governor’s rule, citing deteriorating security and governance in the province. In defiance, PTI-backed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi challenged the PML-N-led administration to follow through on the threat.
Amid these tensions, officials indicated that the PTI plans to reach out to the PPP through the TTAP alliance, extending an invitation to the upcoming conference as a means to foster political dialogue. The ruling PML-N, however, will not receive an invite, according to officials. The PTI has conditioned any broader negotiations with the government on a meeting between opposition allies, including Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader Mahmood Achakzai, and the jailed Khan.
Bhutto-Zardari, a former foreign minister, also addressed the precarious security landscape, describing a “war-like situation” unfolding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He highlighted escalating threats from Afghanistan, where “terrorists from the neighbouring country [are] carrying out attacks on Pakistani soil.” “This is a serious risk, and our armed forces are confronting the challenge,” he said. In a pointed critique of unnamed “political forces,” Bhutto-Zardari accused them of undermining national institutions and called for restraint. “A political party is acting like a ‘political dajjal’. They want to create a wedge between the public and the armed forces,” he said, urging the party to “improve its conduct” and keep politics “within limits.”
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