The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has denounced the “irresponsible and baseless allegations” made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan against a senior serving military officer, calling them “extremely unfortunate, deplorable, and unacceptable.” During a rally on Saturday, Khan accused the intelligence official of plotting to murder him. The ISPR statement claimed that this was a recurring pattern of baseless allegations aimed at military and intelligence officials for political purposes.
The military’s media wing stated that the PTI chairman’s claims were fabricated and malicious and asked him to seek legal recourse while also warning that the institution reserved the right to take legal action against false statements and propaganda. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also criticized Imran Khan’s actions, calling them “highly condemnable.”
In response, Imran Khan questioned whether military officers were above the law, noting that he had been denied his legal and constitutional right to file a First Information Report (FIR) after the assassination attempt against him. He also raised questions about the Wazirabad Joint Investigation Team and the Islamabad Judicial Complex clashes.
The PTI chief alleged that assassins had been placed outside the judicial complex with plans to kill him and that the ISI had taken over the ICT Judicial Complex the evening before his appearance in court on March 18, 2023. Imran Khan then claimed that the answers to these questions would all point to “one powerful man and his accomplices” being above the law.
The ISPR’s statement and Imran Khan’s allegations have stirred up controversy in Pakistan. Some have criticized Khan for making unsubstantiated claims, while others have expressed concerns about the military’s influence over politics. The situation is likely to continue to evolve in the coming days and weeks as more information becomes available.