Transcription
That person and the narrative that he is pushing, it has become a national security threat. If someone attacks this armed force and its leadership for their narcissistic thinking, then we will also come for their neck.
Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry held a fiery, extraordinary press conference today at GHQ Rawalpindi and, without naming Imran Khan, declared him a mental patient at least 12 times and said that one person has become a national threat. He believes that if I am not there, then nothing is. If you are calling him a national security threat, a mental patient, and a narcissist, then perhaps a decision has been made to ban his party or regarding his cases, but DG ISPR sahib did not say anything like that. He said that the government will make these decisions. Imran Khan's statements, the posts that came on X, the language he used, his narrative, it appears that he has provoked this kind of response. He is a political leader, he engages in political discourse, whether appropriate or not, but when a response comes from the army, if it seems that the institution is being provoked, then it will receive more attention, and Imran Khan sahib's stature, especially at the international level, will appear as if on one side is the Pakistan Army and on the other side is a politician. Imran Khan sahib is not allowing any kind of permission for him to communicate with the army or to say anything. However, to move forward, somewhere we will have to create space for each other. Pakistan still has many challenges, and if we sit together to address these challenges, the problems will be solved. Now, somewhere, you also have to give some space to the government. Politicians will have to give space to other politicians so that the temperature comes down.
Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry held a fiery, extraordinary press conference today at GHQ Rawalpindi and, without naming Imran Khan, declared him a mental patient at least 12 times and said that one person has become a national threat. He believes that if I am not there, then nothing is. In this extraordinary press conference, strong positions were presented by the Pakistan Army regarding the national security challenges due to the internal political situation of the country. Its basic focus was on the threats to Pakistan's national security due to the founder of PTI, Imran Khan, and his narrative. In other words, we can say that today, for the second time in two months, a complete charge sheet has been presented against Imran Khan and PTI's anti-establishment narrative. We need to understand a crippling national security threat that is internal, and the axis of that threat, from where it emanates, is a delusional mindset and a delusional person who is captive to himself, for whom his self and his desires are greater than the state of Pakistan. His self, his desires, and his frustration have increased to such an extent that he believes that if I am not there, then nothing is. And why it may seem to you a bit strange coming from me, this is because that person and the narrative that he is pushing, it has become a national security threat. Now politics is over. Now his narrative has become a threat to Pakistan's national security. And that is why it is very important that we come clear. Without any ambiguity, without any doubt, we need to come clear and say what needs to be said.
DG ISPR General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry claimed that the Indian media has become the voice of PTI against the Pakistani army. He showed a video in which it was stated that Tehreek-e-Insaf's social media accounts are being handled from Afghanistan and India. General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the public will not be allowed to be incited against the army. This agenda can only be of someone sitting in Delhi who wants the army not to be a shield for the public against external threats and terrorism. This narrative is being propagated. These two main accounts. One is the party's account, and the other is the account of Insaf, this narcissist, his own account. Where it is run from, no one knows. After that, their own accounts propagate this narrative. Then India's social media propagates it. Then their media, Afghanistan's media and social media. So, there is a big science behind how this is being run. This is not happening just like that. Look at the tweet by this mental patient just two days ago, how they tweeted it, and they are making further tweets on it, carrying their narrative forward. But who gave the original narrative? That mental patient who made the first tweet, and now their biggest facilitator is the Indian media. Now the question arises, why are they spending so much money on the narrative of this delusional mind? Why are they propagating this narcissist? There is only one reason, isn't there? Because they are speaking against the Pakistan Army. Because they are speaking against the leadership of the Pakistan Army. They are talking about creating a rift between the Pakistan Army and the public. If someone attacks these armed forces and its leadership for their own sake, for their delusional mindset, for their narcissistic thinking, then we will also come for their neck. There should be no doubt on that.
Today, the spokesperson of the Pakistan Army, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, once again reminded that their narrative of talking to the militants and not attacking has once again started vigorously. Then the new statement came that the state and army's policy with Afghanistan is wrong. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that they try to attack Cadet College Wana. They try to martyr our children. He says talk, don't operate. Their next narrative is to talk to the militants. Don't attack, don't operate, don't conduct intelligence-based operations. Give space to the militants. The policy with Afghanistan, the army's policy, the state's policy, is a wrong policy. Will Pakistan's security be guaranteed through Kabul? Will Delhi grant Pakistan's security? If we follow their logic on the 6th and 7th of May. If we follow the logic of this mental patient. Then according to the logic of this mental patient, when India attacked on the night of the 6th and 7th of May, if he were a mental patient, he would have gone with a begging bowl for talks, saying let's talk and resolve the issue. Because they attack your Cadet College Wana. They try to martyr your children. Your children are Pakistan's children, children of the tribes. Do they do it or not? He says talk, don't operate. What kind of logic is this?
DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on a question that there is no need to worry too much about barking dogs. We have presented our narrative in response to their narrative on an open forum. The state will decide the rest. General Sharif Chaudhry said that the army cannot decide on banning PTI. This decision has to be made by the state. Institutions follow the state. The army is an institution of the state. We give our perspective on the security issues. We are giving this perspective, and why are we giving this perspective openly in an open forum to the people of Pakistan also, because they also speak openly about the Pakistan Army in the national media, international media, everywhere, and on social media everywhere. So we are giving our perspective because they are giving a perspective on the army, and once they give this poisonous, this sort of fictitious and vested kind of perspective about the army and put it into the minds of Pakistan's children. The first thing is that it is our duty, and my personal duty as the spokesperson and the armed forces, to come and give you what we know and what we feel about it. The state is superior to us. It is all-wise. It is their decision. What do they do and why do they do it? And how will they do it? So, regarding what they say, I will just say that there is no need to worry too much about a barking dog.
The N-League government has not yet made any decision regarding PTI's political activities. Yesterday, Federal Minister of Law Azam Nazir Tarar and Federal Minister of Interior announced the suspension of meetings with the founder of PTI in Adiala Jail. They said that a spectacle will no longer be staged outside Adiala daily. The three sisters try to create a law and order situation there every day, and within the rules, there is no scope for political discourse, and it has been reported that political discourse took place. So, now even Usma Khan sahib's meeting is suspended from today. This will not happen. Whoever violates the rules will have their meeting suspended. It is not acceptable that you go inside and propagate the narrative of India and Afghanistan, and upon coming out, get tweets made about the army and its leadership, and try to damage the entire state system, and give interviews in India and Afghanistan. You were given an opportunity. Whoever has violated, their meeting has been suspended. Let me make it very clear. No person who violates will be allowed a meeting. If you create law and order, the writ of the state will be established, and full action will be taken against you. I am telling you this now, make no mistake about it. Let there be no ambiguity that you think this is just talk. Instructions have been given.
After assuming the office of Chief of Defence Forces, the stance of the Pakistan Army, presented in the first and important press conference by Field Marshal Asim Munir, will be discussed. For this, we have with us Pakistan's renowned political analyst, whose excellent columns are continuously published in the Bardone, Ms. Arfa Noor. Thank you very much, Ms. Arfa Noor. Please tell us that this is a very extraordinary press conference. The most important thing is that this was the first press conference by the army after assuming the office of Chief of Defence Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir. And Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry strongly presented the army's stance. The central focus of which was that Imran Khan's statements, which have come out through his sisters, or his messages being published on Twitter or X, are no less than a threat to Pakistan's national security and security. He used very strong language and adopted a very firm stance. Thank you, Kamran sahib. Yes, you are absolutely right that especially the developments of yesterday and the significant changes that have occurred in the army's structure, after that, I thought that the discussion would be on that. But as you said, the entire discussion by DG ISPR was against Imran Khan sahib and his tweets, so clearly, he took a very strong stance and criticized him a lot. But personally, if you ask me, I think it would have been more appropriate if these things had come from the civilian government. Because they criticized a lot, but they did not announce any decision. In my opinion, the questions that were asked also made it clear that people thought that if you are calling him a national security threat, a mental patient, a narcissist, then perhaps a decision has been made to ban his party or regarding his cases. But DG ISPR sahib did not say anything like that. He said that the government will make these decisions, the state will make them, and the state is above the army. So, personally, I think it would have been better. If the civilian government, where politicians are seated, had engaged in this political discourse, it would have seemed better. It would have seemed more appropriate. But apparently, the statements of Imran Khan that have come out in the past few days, either through his family or what his family stated, and then his some posts on X, the language he used, his narrative, it appears that he has provoked this kind of response. And then we saw that his sisters went to Indian channels, and now his narrative is also being very widely propagated on Indian channels. It is receiving a lot of coverage. So, this overall scenario, his statement, his narrative, his sisters' statements, then going to Indian channels and propagating it there, has perhaps generated this response.
Yes, it is possible, Kamran sahib, but if you ask for my opinion, it is that perhaps Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or Imran Khan sahib want attention, and they want attention at an international level. But when a response comes from the army or the state of Pakistan, their narrative and discourse will receive more attention. Now, even if someone hasn't seen their tweet, they will definitely see it now. Today's press conference, he is a political leader. He engages in political discourse, whether appropriate or not. But when a response comes from the army, or if it seems that the institution is being provoked, then it will receive more attention. And Imran Khan sahib's stature, especially at the international level, will appear as if on one side is the Pakistan Army and on the other side is a politician. So, I don't know, but my personal opinion is, why would you want to give this impression? If there is a stance of our state, our army, or our institutions, and that stance is that Imran Khan is a politician. When he was in power, he committed corruption, he made wrong decisions. He is facing the consequences of those decisions. But when you hold an entire press conference against him, and you say that he was provoked, if the institution has been provoked, then his stature will increase in the international media. They will think that on one side is the army, and Imran Khan is standing in front of the army. But there is another thing here, which is an internally important matter, and that is that he is not seeking any kind of communication with the state, with the establishment, in any way. He has repeatedly made this clear, and even now, his party, some people in his party think that we should find some way, we should open some kind of communication, and if it is appreciated from the other side. For example, PTI leaders were invited to NDU, or at the NFC conference, the Chief Minister of KP came, he sat and talked. At NDU, it was a military gathering, and PTI people went there, and then whatever happened from PTI or Ali Amin Gandapur's side, it was that they do not want to talk to anyone. And they want to crush it very forcefully. Imran Khan sahib should not talk to anyone. This is also a very hardened position of his, in which he is not willing to make any concessions or open any door for dialogue.
Kamran sahib, this is indeed a moment of great concern for all of Pakistan, in which we should all be concerned. Look, whether we like someone's politics or not, whether we support them or not, but Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is currently governing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and it is also a major opposition party. Some people also believe that it is the most popular party in this country. So, in such a situation, especially given our economic conditions and the external threats from Afghanistan and India, it is very important that everyone sits together and talks about these issues. As you yourself mentioned, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa came to the NFC meeting yesterday. And who knows better than you how important the NFC meeting is at this time, and the decisions that need to be made in it are for Pakistan's economy? So, rather, I think it is even more important that both sides, if we can call them two sides, sit together and find a solution to the problems, and the state and the government always have the responsibility to lower the temperature. So, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf should be given space. Problems will be solved. Everything that is being said is absolutely appropriate. But look, the reaction to this, perhaps, is that the PTI people who went to NDU and spoke there, or whatever they did, Imran Khan sahib's reported response was that he called them Mir Jafar, Mir Sadiq, his own party members, who went there and spoke, or participated in any kind of communication. If there was any debate, any discussion, they participated. So, this is a valid point in itself, that Imran Khan sahib is not allowing anyone, any person in his party, to communicate with the army or to say anything. This is also a very strict position of his. Perhaps there is a reason for it, obviously there will be, but anyway, to move forward, somewhere we will have to create space for each other.
Yes, absolutely, I am also saying that, firstly, look, within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, there are always internal fights, and this includes Imran Khan sahib. These fights continue about who is Mir Sadiq, who is Mir Jafar, who is what. This happened with Ali Amin Gandapur sahib. It also happened with those who left the party. So, my personal opinion is that these internal fights within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf should not be given too much importance because that is how the party functions. And the second point you made, I think, is important, and that is that Pakistan still has many challenges. And if we sit together to address these challenges, the problems will be solved. And the third thing is that one person is now in jail, whose communication is completely cut off, so he doesn't understand what is being told to him. So, if there is a hope that he will give better statements, that he will not misunderstand things, then perhaps more access needs to be given. The less the access, the more aggressive, in my opinion, the statements will come from there. So, this decision, where it needs to be made, will be made. The government has to decide whether to allow meetings with their political leaders as well as with their families, so that they know what is happening in the country and what is not. This is a difficult situation, madam, and in Khan sahib's situation, he has always maintained a rigid stance. In all these matters, he perhaps does not want to apply any scope for dialogue, he does not want to address that option at all. Is this not also a very disturbing situation? On the other hand, we are seeing that there is a lot of disarray in his party in this regard. At the end of the day, will Pakistan's politics or Pakistan gain anything from this entire situation?
Yes, absolutely not. If the party is scattered, there are reasons for that too, to some extent. Firstly, as I said, the party's culture is like that. But look, all the senior politicians in the party who had experience, if they are not in the party today, there must be a reason for that, right? And today, these young people who have come forward in this party, because the senior politicians were not given this space to remain in the party. If they were here today, perhaps the party would have been managed, and they could have spoken to Khan sahib. On the other hand, they were expelled from the party. Pressure was put on them. So, look, it's the same thing, and Imran Khan sahib has been saying for a long time that he wants to talk. He will talk to the establishment, not to other parties. So, even now, I think politicians always sit and talk. But somewhere, first, let the temperature come down. You made a very important point in Lahore that these politicians should address this issue, politicians should solve it. They have been through this all their lives. Nawaz Sharif, PML-N, Peoples Party, they have all gone through this situation that PTI is in today. They know it well. They are on the sidelines, or whatever. I have seen that Speaker Ayaz Sadiq sahib, very seasoned, very capable politician, he spoke with them. I understand that in these meetings, Ayaz Sadiq sahib himself, or Rana Sanaullah sahib, all of them have been saying that let's sit together and decide this. Let's talk together and resolve it, because what has to happen will happen, as it has happened before and will happen in the future. I think that effort or desire exists within the N-League and within the Peoples Party itself, because they have been through this. But then again, the point is that PTI people, the people at this level who go and meet, they do not have permission from Imran Khan sahib to go and talk to anyone, let alone politicians, and obviously not with the army. So, I think Imran sahib, look, this is the problem, that Shah Mahmood Qureshi sahib, Pervez Elahi sahib should be allowed to meet Imran Khan sahib. In Lahore, Yasmeen Rashid sahib, Mian Mehmood Rashid sahib, Umar Sarfaraz sahib, they have written that they want to meet. Let them arrange a meeting with Khan sahib. A way out will emerge, but to find a way out, the temperature must be lowered somewhere. Just by Ayaz Sadiq sahib saying it, and that too to the young people of PTI, the problem will not be solved. Give space to those who can truly open some doors. If their meetings are arranged, then the conversation will move forward. Now, it cannot be that you keep putting so much pressure on a party that you have taken their reserved seats, then you disqualify those who reached parliament, you take elections from them, then you do not allow meetings, and you say that they should remain silent from now on. Now, somewhere, you also have to give some space to the government. Politicians have to give space to other politicians so that the temperature comes down. Now, if I remind you about Kashmir, forgive me for speaking at length, in Kashmir too, initially, we did not hear this stance that they will not talk to the militants. But then, when the decision was made to talk, it was the politicians who went and talked, and those protests ended in Kashmir. So, you are saying the same thing, aren't you? That now leading politicians should take the lead. They should not sit on the sidelines and watch the spectacle and be happy that their political opposition is being crushed by the army. Because before this, these things have happened to them too. Sometimes someone is favored, sometimes someone else is favored. Sometimes there is a problem with one, sometimes with another. Whatever the reasons may be. But once again, we are seeing the same things that we have seen all these scenes before.
Yes, absolutely. But I will just add to this that the army should also give some space to those politicians who are in government, and to those who are in opposition. It cannot be that you say we are crushing them, but those who are in government are trying to talk, and those who are being crushed are also talking. The army and the establishment also have to give space. The country belongs to these politicians as much as it belongs to the establishment. So, if everyone sits together, a solution will emerge from the middle. It cannot be that there is such a strict stance, and then you think that people will find a way. It is not that people cannot find a way, but for that, Pakistan will have to pay a very heavy price. And I am not sure that's a very good idea. Yes, absolutely. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Ms. Arfa Noor was with us, a renowned political analyst of Pakistan. And the important thing, in any case, is that there will have to be dialogue. Dialogue will have to happen in any case, and all parties will have to talk. Politicians will have to talk among themselves. All politicians and political parties will have to talk to the army. Because if this dialogue does not happen, then Pakistan will suffer. And this will only be possible when the situation improves, when dialogue takes place. And in this, Imran Khan sahib should also try to be a little magnanimous and try for dialogue, for an opening of some kind. He has been talking about dialogue with the Tehrik-e-Taliban. He has been talking about dialogue with India. And he understands in every way that the solution to any problem is not force. He has repeatedly said this. So, if he creates an opportunity for dialogue with the Pakistan Army as well, it will be very good for Pakistan. And I hope that if he makes such a beginning, there will be a positive response from the army as well. In any case, the Pakistan Army is there. For the highest goals, we definitely need the army. And in any case, Imran Khan sahib, politics, and politicians, all these people also have their own importance.