PTI chairman ‘disappointed’ after ISPR presser, calls for calm and reconciliation
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Thursday urged all sides to lower tensions, saying the press conference by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had left him “disappointed”.
His remarks came hours after the military spokesperson delivered a strongly worded, two-hour-long press conference accusing PTI founder Imran Khan of promoting an “anti-army narrative”, spreading disinformation, coordinating troll campaigns, and working with foreign actors to create unrest.
In a post on X, Gohar said: “I have always hoped for reduced tensions and improved relations. Today, ISPR’s press conference has left me disappointed.”
While emphasising the importance of national defence, the PTI chairman insisted that “PTI’s narrative has never been, nor will ever be, anti-state.”
He expressed regret over political leaders and state institutions labelling each other “mentally ill” or treating one another as threats, saying Pakistan and its armed forces “belong to all of us”.
Gohar stressed the need to “acknowledge each other, create space, and end the trust deficit”, cautioning that actions by “non-stakeholders” should not worsen relations between PTI and state institutions.
He said reconciliation was possible if PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, both currently incarcerated, were allowed meetings under prison rules. “The country cannot bear further tension and unrest,” he said.
ISPR’s allegations and government response
Earlier in the day, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif described Imran Khan as “mentally ill” and a national security threat, accusing him of running coordinated online networks, pushing divisive narratives, and comparing himself repeatedly to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
He said Indian, Afghan, and some international media outlets had amplified the PTI founder’s messaging, with foreign-based troll networks boosting content in synchronised patterns.
Following the press conference, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced a complete ban on meetings with Imran Khan at Adiala Jail.
“There are no meetings; all meetings are banned,” he said on Geo News’ programme Naya Pakistan, calling the former prime minister an “extremist” driven by “war hysteria”.
Tarar said the government planned to register cases against those “creating narratives against the country”, adding that such elements had “no political future”.
