- Asif questions PTI founder Imran Khan’s patriotism.
- Asif says party avoided national responsibility.
- Iqbal urges strict response to anti-state speech.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday defended the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general’s “guarded” language, saying the military’s spokesperson was free to “respond with full force” to criticism aimed at the armed forces.
“ISPR DG [Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry] used extremely guarded language. They say he should not have said this or that — he absolutely should have,” Asif told reporters in Sialkot. “They are free to respond with full force.”
The ISPR DG, in his hard-hitting presser a day earlier, lambasted the PTI founder and his party for promoting “anti-army’s rhetoric”. The military’s spokesperson called Khan, a former prime minister, “mentally ill” and a national security threat.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said that the ex-premier, who was removed from power in 2022, was working with “external elements, spreading disinformation, provoking unrest and persistently targeting the armed forces”.
In response, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan called for de-escalation and giving space to each other. “I have always hoped for reduced tensions and improved relations. Today, ISPR’s press conference has left me disappointed,” he wrote in a post on X.
Asif criticised PTI founder Imran Khan for remaining vocal on every issue except supporting Pakistan’s troops during the conflict with India. “Those whose tongues spared not even our martyrs, with what face do they complain?” he remarked. “Their faith, ideology and everything is power. They have no link to this soil.”
He accused the former prime minister of targeting the military leadership even during wartime, saying: “He kept attacking our forces, our martyrs, our leadership. How can they call themselves patriotic?”
Asif added that friendly countries had stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Pakistan, but “one political party did not play the role the 250 million people of Pakistan did in facing India,” urging them to “do politics, protest, anything — but do not challenge Pakistan’s land, honour or importance.”
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal also backed the ISPR. “Our armed forces are sacrificing in the fight against terrorism. The ISPR DG has been soft — if it were me, I would have used even stronger words,” he said.
Iqbal said he himself had been jailed in a “false case” but never spoke against Pakistan abroad. “Pakistan is one family. We do not take our disputes outside the home,” he added, calling for “responsibility from everyone.”
Anyone attacking state institutions and the military should face a “strict” response, he warned. He also highlighted terrorism as the “biggest challenge” for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and expressed hope that the provincial government would “play its constitutional role” in restoring peace.
