LAHORE: Taking exception to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s comment on PTI founder Imran Khan, incarcerated PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has asserted that he (Bhutto-Zardari) should know that there is national consensus on Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programme.

“There is political unity on our nuclear programme, and no international conspiracy against Pakistan has worked in the past nor will Pakistan come under pressure in the future,” stated Mr Qureshi in his hand-written note, probably written a few days ago, and delivered to this reporter on Saturday.

Mr Qureshi responded to Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s comments made during his speech at the death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Dec 27 at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh. Mr Bhutto-Zardari had asked PTI founder Imran Khan to explain his position, accusing foreign powers of targeting the country’s nuclear and missile programme under the guise of supporting Mr Khan.

“As chairman of a major political party, one expects Mr Bhutto-Zardari to know that there is a national consensus on Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programme,” he said, adding that there was political unity on Pakistan’s nuclear programme. No international conspiracy against Pakistan had worked in the past, nor would Pakistan come under pressure in the future. He said Pakistan’s civil and military leadership had consistently been on the same page and recognised the need for credible minimum deterrence.

Asserting that there was no need to overreact to Deputy Security Advisor Jonathan Finer’s bizarre claim, the PTI vice-chairman said the world knew that Pakistan’s nuclear programme was defensive in nature and South Asia-specific.

“There is no need to show unnecessary anxiety,” Mr Qureshi stated, adding that no political leader or political party would compromise on Pakistan’s national security.

“This is too sensitive and serious an issue to be raised in public jalsas or politicised,” Mr Qureshi observed and stressed, “Let us all agree and allow the relevant people to raise the issue at the appropriate level and time.”

Meanwhile, in an informal talk with media persons at ATC on Friday, Mr Qureshi said Pakistan was at a critical juncture and hoped that the PTI-government talks would reach a logical end. “Pakistan needs dialogue among political parties – not just the PTI,” he said, adding that the government would face problems if the dialogue did not conclude on a positive note. He also said the failed dialogue would pose a danger to democracy. He said PTI founder Imran Khan was thinking about the interest of the country as it was facing internal as well as external challenges.

Mr Qureshi said the PTI had started the dialogue process with good intentions, and the party founder believed that it was for a bigger cause. He stressed that believers in democracy should carry the dialogue process forward with complete sincerity and seriousness.

He said the PTI did not put forward any uncalled-for demands, which comprised a judicial commission to probe the May 9 and Nov 26 incidents and the release of political prisoners. “While the murder accused get bail from courts, we are in jail for the past 18 months, but neither has the case started nor were they granted bail,” Mr Qureshi lamented.

Welcoming the release of some political prisoners by the military court, he stressed that other innocent political prisoners should also be given relief.

YASMIN RASHID: Incarcerated PTI Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid says that the political leaders who had gathered at the dialogue table would come up with a sane outcome.

Speaking to media persons at the ATC, she said protecting democracy was the need of the hour. In democracy, she said every individual had a right to protest, but Pakistan was facing humiliation at international forums owing to ongoing human rights violations.

She said she did not recognise the military court and wanted the civilians to be tried in the civilian courts. She also criticised the conviction of former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Khalid Khurshid and called the sentence “beyond imagination”. She said human rights were being violated.

Dr Rashid said the political prisoners, including Imran Khan, should be released for comprehensive political stability. She claimed that there were around 5,700 political prisoners in jails and 40 per cent of them were daily wagers.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2025