The PTI announced on Wednesday that it would hold a “national conference” later this month, where a “national agenda” would be presented.

The development comes days after Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed Imran Khan for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric, stating that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat”.

Since then, a war of words continued between the leaders of the ruling PML-N and PTI over the presser, with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying Imran had used “harsh language” in the past for members of the opposition. He insisted that the party had no right to object to the comments by the military’s spokesman, while the opposition party emphatically deplored “ridiculous” remarks by the military spokesperson against ex-premier Imran Khan, saying he was “not a security threat”.

The PTI has also faced restrictions in meeting the party’s incarcerated founder, with authorities using water cannons earlier today to disperse protesters, including Imran’s sisters, who were staging a sit-in outside Adiala jail after being denied a meeting with the ex-premier.

The announcement was made by PTI leader Asad Qaiser after a meeting of the party’s parliamentary group at the Parliament House.

Speaking to the media outside Parliament, he said the conference was scheduled for December 20-21.

When asked about the conference’s agenda, the former speaker said the country was “facing serious issues” of instability and uncertainty.

“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,” said Qaiser while speaking to Dawn.

Elaborating further, the senior PTI leader said the situation was tense on the country’s international borders and commercial activity, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had declined.

“Multinational companies have been leaving Pakistan. 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,” he added.

The PTI, earlier this week, said that excluding the party founder from politics would only weaken the political system. Last week, Barrister Gohar had extended an olive branch, saying there was a need to soften tones to break the political deadlock.

However, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that negotiations would not be held with the PTI and in case the government agreed to talks, it would be held in parliament and without Imran.

Since Imran’s incarceration in several cases, PTI’s relations with the government and the establishment have deteriorated sharply, marked by protests that frequently escalated into violence amid state repression.