Rawalpindi (Web Desk): Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday slammed incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, for spreading an anti-military and anti-state narrative and termed it as a national security threat.
Addressing a press conference, he said the political party was drawing encouragement from media outlets in countries whose forces, according to him, had previously been defeated by Pakistan’s military.
The DG ISPR displayed several anti-army reports frequently aired on Indian news channels.
He said PTI’s messaging was built on sensational claims, deliberate misinformation and a manipulated version of events, amplified further by influencers believed to be close to the party and pushed by Indian and Afghan digital networks.
“Under what law, what rule, or which constitutional clause can such behaviour be justified?” he asked.
He labelled this trend a “slow-moving national security threat” that the military considers essential to counter.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said that PTI had shifted its political focus away from key public issues — including persistent governance failures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the party has ruled for more than ten years, and long-standing problems in education, health, law and order and economic management. Instead, he said, the party had centred its politics on attacking state institutions, particularly the armed forces.
He referred to a jailed party leader as “mentally unwell,” accusing him of putting his own ambitions above the country’s interest. Stressing that “no one is above Pakistan,” he said the state would not allow anyone to undermine the country’s stability.
The DG ISPR warned that attempts to sow mistrust between the armed forces and the public would be forcefully addressed.
He emphasized that the military represents Pakistan’s entire population, comprising people from every region, ethnicity and faith, and that undermining the institution amounts to attacking national unity.
Outlining the strategic role of the Pakistan Army, he said weakening the military directly compromises national defence.
“It is the Pakistan armed forces,” the DG ISPR said, “that stand as a shield between the people and India’s Hindutva-driven hegemonic ambitions.”
He added that the same forces protect Pakistan from extremist groups, describing the threats as the khawarij and the “Fitna al-Hindustan” operating from Afghanistan.
Lt Gen Chaudhry showed the social media trends and fake news surrounding the recent Chief of Defence Forces notification and other related disinformation campaigns about Pak Army.
About PTI's criticism on Afghan policy and narrative of talks with Khawarij, the DG ISPR said security of the state cannot be sublet.
The DG ISPR reiterated that we believe in dialogue, but not with terrorist entities including Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan.
The Director General ISPR described the operationalization of Chief of Defence Forces Headquarters as a monumental and a great day for the national security of Pakistan.
He said it is not only in Pakistan but there are about seventy countries where such synergetic headquarters are available.
The military’s spokesperson also expanded on what he described as PTI’s “anti-state conduct,” alleging that some of the party’s support networks in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were involved in unlawful activities such as drug trafficking, kidnappings, extortion and the widespread use of non-custom-paid vehicles.
He said that foreign hostile elements were exploiting PTI’s narrative to discredit Pakistan internationally, warning that such alignment — intentional or not — ultimately serves the interests of adversaries, not the nation.
He reaffirmed that the Pakistan Army would continue to defend the state and push back against propaganda, falsehoods and all attempts to destabilise the country.
Earlier at the beginning of the briefing, Lt Gen Chaudhry congratulated the nation on the appointment of the Chief of Defense Forces, confirming that the newly created office had begun its work.
He said modern warfare demands coordinated efforts across land, air, naval and cyber domains, noting that many other countries already operate similar headquarters.
The DG ISPR described the establishment of this office, undertaken on Parliament’s instructions, as an important advancement in strengthening Pakistan’s defence structure.