- Imran ran government like a dictator.
- Questions PTI’s love for terrorists.
- Afghans involved in major terror acts.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the head of ISPR, today leveled strong criticism against the founder of PTI, stating that Imran Khan ran both his political party and the entire government apparatus like an absolute dictator. He alleged that all decision-making authority was singularly focused on one individual during that period.
Without naming Khan directly, the DG ISPR revisited the former Prime Minister’s comments, stating that the premier was so powerful he had declared the then Army Chief the ‘father of the nation.’ General Chaudhry emphasized that no prime minister since 1947 had held such sweeping authority. He firmly stated that the nation recognizes only Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah as the Father of the Nation and Allama Muhammad Iqbal as the National Poet.
The focus then shifted to the ongoing security challenges. General Ahmed Sharif criticized Khan’s continuous demand for dialogue with terrorists, stating that the obsession (‘khabt’) persists even now. He questioned the former ruling party’s affinity for these terrorists and their misguided ideologies, asking, ‘What love do you have for these miscreants and their ideologies?’ The DG ISPR further alleged that Khan was prioritizing political agendas over the security of the nation, effectively pushing entire regions, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, into the fire of terrorism.
General Chaudhry highlighted that 80 percent of terrorism incidents occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, primarily because, according to him, a conducive environment was allegedly provided to the terrorists there. During the press conference, he presented video clips reportedly showing the KP Chief Minister and other provincial ministers opposing military operations. The DG ISPR questioned the KP government’s opposition, stating, ‘If you won’t conduct operations, should you sit at the feet of terrorists?’ He accused the KP assembly of propagating false narratives for political expediency.
Significantly, the DG ISPR questioned the absence of attacks on PTI leadership. He pointed out that every other major political entity, including the ANP, JUI, PPP, and PML-N, has seen its leaders targeted by terrorists. He asked why these ‘Khawarij’ (miscreants) never launched an attack against PTI.
Providing detailed security statistics, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reported that Pakistani forces conducted 75,000 intelligence-based operations last year against 5400 reported terrorism incidents. During these operations, 2597 terrorists were killed, while the nation suffered 1235 casualties (security forces and civilians). He concluded by confirming the strong foreign nexus, stating that Afghan nationals were involved in 10 major terrorist attacks in Pakistan last year, and claiming that Afghanistan has become a haven for global terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the BLA, noting that approximately 2500 foreign fighters from Syria have also reached Afghanistan.