‘Can’t Stay Silent’: In Surprise Press Meet, ISI And ISPR Chiefs Speak on Scribe’s Murder, Target Imran

In an unprecedented press conference on Thursday, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum joined Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Lt Gen Babar Iftikhar to speak about journalist Arshad Sharif’s killing and former prime minister Imran Khan’s statements against the military, as well as other topics.

The DG ISI claimed that in March this year there was a lot of pressure on the establishment for political interference.

Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was offered an indefinite extension by the government at that time, and this was done when the vote of no-confidence was at its peak, he said.

The DG ISPR strictly denied the allegation of the establishment’s involvement in Arshad Sharif’s murder.

Sharif and other journalists were fed a particular narrative and an attempt was made to defame Pakistan and the country’s institutions across the world, he said, adding that facts of his death have to be determined.

“We might have made mistakes in the past,” he said. “We have been called traitors. It’s your army, you can critique, and we should respect the sanctity of the uniform and the institution.”

The ISI and ISPR chiefs questioned Arshad Sharif’s exit from Pakistan, suggesting Imran Khan-led PTI’s involvement.

According to Lt Gen Iftikhar, Imran Khan’s narrative of “foreign conspiracy” built through a piece of paper is “far from reality”.

ARY News played the role of a spin doctor in targeting the army; its CEO Salman Iqbal should be brought back to Pakistan and investigated, he said.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in August issued a letter stating that a Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan splinter group was looking to target Arshad Sharif, said the ISPR chief. No one forced Sharif to leave Dubai but PTI, he added.

The ISI chief claimed that Arshad Sharif did not face any threat in Pakistan.

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