Islamabad: In behaviour totally unbecoming of an officer of his stature, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the director general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), was caught on camera winking at a woman journalist after replying to her question on Imran Khan.
The journalist, identified as Absa Koman, had asked Chaudhry about allegations levelled against Khan, such as him being a “national security threat”, “anti-state”, and acting “at the hands of Delhi”.
She added, “How is it different from the past, or should we expect any development in the future?”
Chaudhry responded by adding, “And add a fourth point: he is also a zehni mareez (mental patient).” He then smiled and winked at the journalist, as reported by NDTV.
The video soon went viral, with netizens reacting sharply. “This is openly happening in the presence of a camera. Democracy is over in Pakistan. PM is
a puppet,” one of them posted.
“A meme of a nation,” another write.
Chaudhry is reported to have called Khan a “narcissist” whose political aspirations had become so extreme that he believed, “If I am not in power, nothing else should exist,” although without naming him.
Individuals who have been meeting Khan behind bars were being used “to spread poison against the army”, he said.
The military spokesperson also accused Khan of attempting to inflame hostility toward the military.
“We will not allow anyone to create rifts between Pakistan’s military and its people,” he said, noting that constitutional rights include limits, especially regarding threats to national security.
The military’s long-standing allegation linking Khan to the May 9, 2023, attacks on military installations, including the Rawalpindi headquarters.
“Was it not this same individual who orchestrated those attacks?” he said.
The violence erupted after Khan’s arrest that year, when thousands of his supporters charged military and government compounds. Khan has denied any hand in the unrest.
Chaudhry’s response came after Khan posted on X, calling Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir a “mentally unstable person” and accusing him of driving “the complete collapse of the Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan.”