The Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, strongly criticized jailed PTI founder Imran Khan on Friday, accusing him of promoting an “anti-army narrative” that, according to him, has moved beyond politics and evolved into a “national security threat.”
Speaking at a press briefing at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Lt Gen Chaudhry asserted that the narrative advanced by Imran Khan no longer fell within the political domain but had begun to threaten the country’s security.
Referring to the PTI’s founding chairman, the military spokesperson claimed that Imran Khan had placed his personal ambitions above the state’s interests, saying that his attitude implied: “If I am not in power, then the system is a dictatorship.”
DG ISPR said that the purpose of the press conference was to address an internal national security threat.
He added that politics is now over for this person, he has become a national security threat and is working in coordination with external elements.
He said, “We are the armed forces of Pakistan and do not represent any political ideology. If anyone attacks the Pakistan Army based on their personal views, we will respond. We respect the country’s political leadership, but the army must be kept out of political agendas. No one will be allowed to drive a wedge between the armed forces and the people.”
He added that the military does not come from the elite class; its personnel come from the middle or lower-middle classes. “If anyone targets the armed forces or its leadership, we will not tolerate it. We respect all political leaders and parties. Conduct your politics, but keep the army out of it.”
The DG ISPR said that constructive criticism or observations about the army are acceptable, but no one will be allowed to incite the public against it. “If someone attacks their own army or its leadership, what are they trying to create space for, another army? Whenever anyone meets this person, he spreads a narrative against the State and the armed forces. He disregards the Constitution, the law, and established rules when promoting this narrative.”
