By Staff Reporter
ce minister on Saturday sharply rebuked the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party for its objections to a military spokesman’s blistering critique of the party’s imprisoned founder, Imran Khan, escalating a bitter feud between the government, the armed forces and Khan’s supporters.
The defence minister, Khawaja Asif, speaking to reporters in his home city, defended the comments made a day earlier by Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the director general of the military’s public relations arm Inter-Services Public Relations, who had described an unnamed figure, widely understood to be Khan, as “a mentally ill person,” “a narcissist” and “a security risk.” General Chaudhry had accused the individual and his party of promoting a narrative aimed at undermining the armed forces and destabilizing the state.
Asif, a senior figure in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, argued that the PTI had no grounds to complain, given Khan’s own history of inflammatory rhetoric against opponents. “When they were in power, I remember, he (Imran) would engage in theatrics and sometimes don a dupatta to mimic leaders,” Asif said. “He did that for Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who is with him today. He would also use derogatory language for women.”
He added that Khan, who has been jailed since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he denies, continued such behavior through statements posted on his account on X. “If DG ISPR has given a reaction, I believe it is a guarded reaction,” Asif said.
The minister’s remarks came amid heightened tensions between the PTI and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment, which has long played an outsized role in the country’s politics. Khan, a former prime minister ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022, has repeatedly accused the military of orchestrating his removal and subsequent legal troubles, claims the armed forces deny.
Asif accused the PTI of fostering an “anti-state” narrative and failing to honor the military’s role in combating terrorism. “I have attended the funerals of many martyrs … I have never seen someone from the PTI there,” he said, urging the party to “speak in favour of martyrs and not terrorists.” “Do not attempt to hold dialogue with terrorists or take a soft stance with them,” Asif warned, adding that such an approach invited strong pushback. “When you continue to adopt such an approach, this is exactly the kind of language that will be used against you.”
He noted that while General Chaudhry had been “still careful with his words, I, however, have the liberty to give you a hard-hitting answer.” Asif also criticised interviews given by Khan’s sisters to Indian media outlets, calling it “engaging with the enemy.” “How can they call themselves Pakistanis and patriots?” he asked. The minister portrayed the PTI as driven solely by ambition, saying the party’s “sole ideology was to gain power” and alleging that its leaders had no “allegiance to Pakistan.”
Pointing to a conflict with India in May, Asif said neighboring countries had expressed sympathies and stood with Pakistan, but the PTI had remained silent. “All our neighbours expressed their sympathies on the martyrdom of our soldiers … they stood with us shoulder to shoulder during the war, but internally this one party here did not play any role in confronting the enemy,” he said. “The PTI leader has something to say about everything; why did he not say anything during the conflict for our soldiers and armed forces?”.
He accused the party of criticising military leadership even during wartime. “Even during times of war, they continued to criticise the armed forces leadership … how can such people now say that the DG ISPR should not have said this or that.” “He has every right to say it.”
The PTI responded to General Chaudhry’s remarks on Friday through Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the party chairman, who called the military’s language regrettable. “It is regrettable when state institutions and political figures label each other as mentally ill or perceive each other as threats,” he said. Barrister Gohar reaffirmed the party’s loyalty to the nation, dismissing accusations of an anti-state agenda. “Pakistan belongs to us, and so does the army; we have demonstrated this in practice and will continue to do so.”
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