What PTI said on 7 January 2026
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) issued a statement on 7 January 2026 pushing back against criticism from ISPR Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who had used a 6 January press conference to accuse the “political party in power in Pakistan in 2021” of “internally facilitating terrorists” and to question its opposition to a new KP military operation. Dawn’s News Desk reported that PTI termed the criticism “regrettable” and accused the spokesperson of singling out a single party and a provincial government.
In its statement, the party said consistent criticism “not only escalates political temperatures but also raises questions about the balance of the state apparatus”. It rejected the framing that opposition to a KP military operation amounted to support for terrorists, recalling that a PTI-led peace jirga on 12 November 2025 had “unanimously resolved that a military operation is not a sustainable solution”. PTI also objected to the DG’s claim that terrorists did not target the party, calling it contrary to ground realities.
What the KP chief minister demanded
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi escalated the dispute separately. He said opposition to a possible military operation was not limited to PTI and that “all political and religious parties of KP” agreed military operations are not a long-term solution. Afridi pointed to 22 military operations and roughly 14,000 intelligence-based operations in the province without eliminating terrorism, and said “serious flaws in policymaking” made a policy shift inevitable. He asked whether the federal government had guarantees that a new operation would deliver lasting peace. Afridi had days earlier urged Islamabad lawyers to launch a movement for judicial independence.
The parallel advice from the prime minister’s adviser
The pushback was echoed by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, the Express Tribune reported. He urged PTI to abandon its “hostile stance” towards the state, warning that continued confrontation could undermine party founder Imran Khan’s political influence, destabilise the KP government and erode his public support. He said democratic leadership required compromise, not perpetual confrontation.
What remains uncertain
The federal government’s formal response had not been put on the record by the editorial cutoff. PTI had not said whether it would accept a dialogue invitation, and the ISPR had not commented on the KP CM’s policy-shift call. Whether the criticism escalates or de-escalates remains to be seen in the days after the exchange.
