Jailed PTI leaders warn of national crisis, urge unity amid rising regional tensions

LAHORE: Five senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) currently imprisoned at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail on Saturday warned that deepening political divisions and mounting external pressures were threatening Pakistan’s sovereignty, economy, and democratic order, urging all stakeholders to rise above personal ambitions and political rivalries for the country’s stability.

The leaders—Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed and Omar Sarfraz Cheema—issued the statement through their legal counsel, which was later shared by the party on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

The incarcerated leaders stressed that the rapidly evolving regional and domestic situation required urgent consultation within the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) and PTI’s political committee to formulate a collective strategy, ideally through a joint session of parliament.

They cautioned that Pakistan could ill afford political instability at a time when security concerns were rising along the eastern border and terrorism was resurging in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“External threats may not be of our making, but confronting them requires internal cohesion, coordination, and understanding,” the leaders said, warning that the fragile economic stability achieved through painful sacrifices by the public was once again under threat.

The statement noted that the escalating conflict in the Middle East, particularly the recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran, had unsettled potential investors from Gulf countries who were planning major investments in Pakistan.

The leaders pointed out that a significant share of Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves depended on deposits from friendly nations, adding that global and regional economic uncertainty could also affect remittance inflows.

They warned that disruptions in Gulf ports and rising shipping costs could further strain Pakistan’s already stagnant exports, while surging oil and gas prices would sharply increase the country’s import bill and erase the current account surplus.

“A fresh balance of payments crisis could deepen our reliance on the International Monetary Fund and keep the dream of exiting the Fund programme out of reach,” the statement said, adding that inflation was again rising and limiting the possibility of further reductions in the policy rate.

Highlighting structural economic challenges, the PTI leaders said Pakistan was unable to generate the three million jobs required annually to absorb the growing labour force, while the agriculture sector was also under increasing stress.

“At the current level of GDP growth, meaningful poverty reduction is impossible. Business as usual can no longer continue, and political confrontation will only worsen the crisis,” they said.

Calling for national reconciliation, the leaders urged political parties, the military leadership, the judiciary, legal fraternity, and the media to collectively chart a way forward.

“Only an internally united Pakistan can confront the external threats before us,” they said, urging parliamentarians committed to parliamentary sovereignty to play an active role in ending the political deadlock.

The leaders also stressed that when the government sought dialogue with the opposition, it must acknowledge that many continued to question its legitimacy.

“The country urgently needs a fundamental shift in governance. The Constitution and rule of law must be upheld, and national issues must be resolved through consensus,” they said, warning that history would not forgive the current political leadership if it failed to bring stability to the country.

They urged TTAP and PTI to deliberate on these proposals, while asserting that the primary responsibility for resolving the ongoing political crisis rested with the present government.

“If our affairs are managed wisely, mutually agreed solutions are possible. Pakistan needs a healing touch,” the statement concluded.