RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: The Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar has rejected the baseless allegations levelled against the state institutions, and remarked that the responsibility lies on the sitting government to defend the state institutions.
In a Press Briefing held in Rawalpindi on Thursday, flanked by the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum, the DG ISPR said that it’s the government which has to initiate prosecutions against the Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan.
The director general ISI said that simultaneously Imran Khan labels the leadership of Pakistan’s armed forces as traitors but also continues to meet them in nights.
Lt General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum said that the leadership of Pakistan’s armed forces was named as ‘Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq’ without any proof after it refused to comply with unconstitutional acts. He questioned that if the Army Chief is a traitor then why so much praises were showered on him in the past.
The DG ISI said that in March 2022 when the No-Motion Confidence was tabled, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed was offered a lifetime tenure of the Office; however, he declined.
The DG ISI said that being the head of the Country’s premier spy agency, he can’t remain silence over the smear campaign against the armed forces which have rendered matchless sacrifices. He maintained that Pakistan has no threats from outside.
Lt General Nadeem Anjum said that a lot of lies are being spoken blatantly and the youth is being affected by that. Therefore, he added, he decided to appear before the media and brush aside the negative propaganda.
Commenting on the cypher, the Director General ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar said that a piece of paper was waved at a public gathering in Islamabad on March 27 and a subsequent narrative was developed which had nothing to do with reality.
With regard to the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif, the DG ISPR said that an investigation team has been formed to probe his association in Kenya, and all of us must wait for its findings.
The DG ISPR said that Arshad Sharif was a very capable and hardworking journalist, adding that he had no life threats in Pakistan.
Major General Babar Iftikhar said that as per their information, a threat alert was issued by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government but no details were shared as from where the provincial government received the threat. He said that the KPK government extended the full-proof security to Arshad Sharif and also facilitated his exit from the Country.
The director general ISPR said that an impartial and transparent investigation must be carried out to ascertain the facts which led to the killing of Arshad Sharif. He said that the CEO of ARY Digital Network Salman Iqbal must also be included in the investigation.
