RAWALPINDI: The military’s chief spokesperson, Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has strongly condemned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for making “irresponsible and baseless allegations” against a senior serving military officer.
In a statement released on Monday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director-general said, “Chairman PTI has levelled highly irresponsible and baseless allegations against a serving senior military officer without any evidence.”
Khan has accused the senior officer, alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, of orchestrating an assassination attempt on him on November 3, 2022. However, no substantial evidence has been provided to support his claims, which have been categorically denied by the accused parties.
“These fabricated and malicious allegations are extremely unfortunate, deplorable, and unacceptable,” the ISPR spokesperson asserted, emphasizing that such claims undermine institutional credibility.
Allegations and Political Motives
The military statement highlighted a troubling trend in recent years, accusing political leaders of targeting military and intelligence officials to further their political objectives. “This has been a consistent pattern for the last year wherein military and intelligence agencies officials are targeted with insinuations and sensational propaganda for the furtherance of political objectives,” the statement noted.
Major General Chaudhry also issued a stern warning, stating, “We ask the political leader concerned to make recourse to legal avenues and stop making false allegations. The institution reserves the right to take legal course of action against patently false and malafide statements and propaganda.”
Imran Khan’s Response
Prior to the military’s statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had denounced the PTI chief’s accusations, calling them baseless. In response, Khan questioned whether military officers were “above the law.”
“As someone who has suffered two assassination attempts in the last few months, can I dare to ask SS the following questions: Do I, as a citizen, have the right to nominate those I feel were responsible for the attacks? Why was I denied my legal and constitutional right to register an FIR?” he asked on Twitter.
Khan further questioned if accusing an individual within the military was tantamount to maligning the entire institution. “Does SS’s tweet mean military officers are above the law or that they cannot commit a crime?”
He also pointed to alleged irregularities in the investigation of the assassination attempt, asking, “Who was so powerful as to sabotage Wazirabad JIT while the PTI government was in power in Punjab?”
Accusations Against Bajwa
This is not the first time Khan has accused military officials of wrongdoing. The PTI chief has previously blamed former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa for his government’s ouster through a no-confidence vote in April 2022. However, Khan has not provided evidence to substantiate these claims.
‘Law of the Jungle’
Khan expressed frustration with the existing political and legal system, concluding, “Then it is time for us to officially declare that in Pakistan there is only the law of the jungle where Might is Right.”
The ongoing exchange highlights the escalating tensions between the PTI leadership and the military, with the latter signaling its intent to take a firmer stance against baseless accusations.