RAWALPINDI: Railway Minister Hanif Abbasi and senior PML-N lawmaker Malik Abrar Ahmed on Sunday held separate press conferences to express solidarity with the armed forces, saying the narrative that threatened the national unity would be ended now.

They said the state had now made it clear that ridiculing national security and institutions would no longer be viewed under the guise of freedom of speech, but would be treated as a crime.

Mr Abbasi held the presser at his residence and called for strict action against any narrative that threatens the national unity and stability. He said martyrs laid down their lives to put the country on the path of peace and development, and the nation stands united in saluting their sacrifices.

He said Pakistan is reclaiming its rightful place in the international community due to the sacrifices of its martyrs and the unwavering commitment of the armed forces.

The PML-N leader criticised the PTI and its jailed founder Imran Khan, alleging that he was creating instability through his anti-state narrative. He said such campaigns target the country’s institutions and will not be tolerated.

He said PTI’s recent actions, including its negative campaigns and the events of May 9, 2023, had exposed the party’s intentions. The attacks on military installations on May 9 desecrated the sanctity of national heroes and martyrs.

He said all those who acted against the country’s interests must be held accountable.

On the other hand, Malik Abrar, chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Division, said when the survival of the state and the guardians of its borders were at stake, political affiliations became secondary.

He said today’s issue was not about politics, but about the state and the future of our coming generations.

He said the state had now made it clear that ridiculing national security and institutions would no longer be viewed under the guise of freedom of speech, but would be treated as a crime.

He was addressing a press conference at the Rawalpindi Press Club along with MPAs Malik Iftikhar Ahmed, Malik Mansoor Afsar and members of the cantonment boards.

Criticising the PTI, Malik Abrar said the party which came to power in the name of ‘change’ (Tabdili) now stands on the brink of ‘destruction’ (Tabahi).

He said when the top leadership of a party admits in private gatherings that their leader was heading in the “wrong direction”, but cannot speak the truth before the public it was not politics but “hypocrisy”.

He said it was no longer a secret that the PTI leadership had disassociated itself from its founder’s social media accounts and posts on X, and serious members of the party hesitated to share them, which was proof that this path was not politics but “political suicide”.

Addressing PTI workers, the PML-N leader said they must reflect on why leaders whose own children were safe in London and the USA were hiding in drawing rooms after pitting the workers against the state. Endorsing the recent stance of national security institutions, Malik Abrar said the facts presented by the state institutions were not merely a statement but a “final verdict”. It implies clearly that the state has decided to abandon the policy of “tolerance” and resolved to strictly enforce the constitution and the law.

He said the remedy for the “mental state” and “egoism” identified by the institutions was no longer negotiations, but the writ of law.

He said when an individual begins to consider themselves larger than the state, it becomes the state’s duty to remind them of their limits. “The time for talk is over; now is the time for decisions.”

Taxila

Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Member National Assembly (MNA) Sheikh Aftab Ahmad has urged opposition parties to return to the democratic process, stressing that dialogue is the only remedy to the country’s growing political and institutional challenges.

Addressing a press conference at his residence in Attock on Sunday, he advised the opposition to abandon confrontational politics and engage Parliament to find solutions to national issues.

He said the recent briefing by the director general of the ISPR was a direct result of the environment created by the leadership of a political party, adding that any narrative targeting state institutions would naturally provoke a response.

“When a political party maligns its own army and its leadership, it should expect a reaction from the state,” he remarked, noting that Pakistan’s armed forces have consistently rendered sacrifices for national security.

Referring to recent tensions with India, Sheikh Aftab said the armed forces under the leadership of Chief of Defence Forces Syed Asim Munir had “demonstrated professional excellence and compelled the enemy to retreat”.

He criticised what he called confrontational politics of a particular party, saying its leadership’s stubbornness had disillusioned even its own workers.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2025