By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: In a sharp escalation of political tensions, the military and government officials have accused Imran Khan, the imprisoned founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, of posing a national security threat through his anti-army rhetoric, prompting warnings of possible treason charges and drawing defiant responses from his supporters.
The accusations, leveled in recent days, underscore the deepening rift between Khan’s Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf party and the powerful military establishment, which has long played a pivotal role in the country’s politics. They come amid broader concerns over the state of democracy following controversial constitutional amendments and questions surrounding the 2024 general elections.
Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the director general of the military’s Inter-Services Public Relations, delivered a blistering critique during a press conference on Friday, assailing Khan for creating and spreading an “anti-army” rhetoric. He stated that such narratives were now out of the realm of politics and had become a “national security threat.” General Chaudhry also referred to the former prime minister as “mentally ill.”
The military’s unusually direct intervention drew swift condemnation from the PTI, which deplored the “ridiculous” remarks by the military spokesperson. The party insisted that its founder was “not a security threat” and lamented the weakening of democracy in the country following the passage of recent constitutional amendments.
Government officials have supported the military’s stance, with some suggesting that the PTI has crossed into dangerous territory. Rana Sanaullah, the prime minister’s adviser on political affairs and a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, said on Monday that treason cases against Khan could not be ruled out. “We cannot rule out treason case[s] being lodged against the PTI founder,” Senator Sanaullah, a former interior minister, said during an interview on a private broadcaster. He added that the government fully endorsed General Chaudhry’s remarks, describing them as a clear message and a direct warning to the PTI: if they treat this matter as a joke, they will suffer the consequences.
Sanaullah pointed to what he described as coordinated amplification of narratives used by terrorists involved in the Jaffer Express attack, which he said were echoed simultaneously by Indian, Afghan and PTI-linked media. He also referenced a tweet issued by Khan after meeting his sister, saying the language used in it made the situation clear. “These people are sealing their own fate by engaging in such actions,” the senator said, asserting that their fate would be no different from that of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and its founder. “Where are MQM London and its founder today?” he asked. He maintained that it now appeared the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was heading towards becoming “Adiala Tehreek-e-Insaf,” a reference to the Adiala jail where Khan is held.
Sanaullah added that the majority of PTI members would not become part of this “madness.” He also noted that Khan’s sister had assured jail authorities prior to the meeting that she would not issue any statement to the media, and that during the meeting, the PTI founder did not even ask his sister about her health.
Barrister Aqeel Malik, the minister of state for law and justice and another PML-N figure, piled on the criticism during an appearance on a private television channel and said Pakistan did not benefit from the PTI “project”.
The minister highlighted that during its tenure, the PTI government “ran a campaign against the country, writing to the IMF and lobbying US politicians.” “Has the PTI taken a single beneficial step for Pakistan?” Malik asked, further questioning what development projects are underway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the party is running the provincial administration. “When it comes to sovereignty and national security, we (PML-N) have never compromised,” he added. “There is a night and day difference between the policies of the PTI and the PML-N.”
Malik pointed out that Khan himself claimed, when he was in power, that the army chief was akin to the “father of the nation” and that nobody could speak out against him. “Look at what Imran Khan is saying on Twitter,” he added, referring to posts against Chief of Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir. “I can say that the youth have introspected and found that countries cannot progress on hollow words, hollow promises and pure popularity,” Malik added. “I am not denying that there are questions around the 2024 general elections, but did Nawaz Sharif write any letters to the IMF? Was he involved in foreign lobbying?”
PTI leader Aamir Dogar sharply criticized the coalition government, cited Sheikh Mujibur Rehman being deemed a security threat by Yahya Khan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto being declared a security threat by Ziaul Haq, saying the country’s most popular leaders have been targeted throughout Pakistan’s history. “Where did all these people — Yahya, Ayub Khan — go? Political figures return in some way or another, because ideas never die,” Dogar said. “Under this hybrid system, Pakistan’s future has been imprisoned. Read the Hamoodur Rahman Commission; the situation is similar.”
The controversy has also spotlighted questions about control over Khan’s social media accounts, which have continued to post messages despite his imprisonment. When questioned about them, Dogar noted that the account is not under the party’s control, nor is it under Khan’s. “Even today, in a parliamentary committee meeting, we agreed that messages from Imran in jail should not be disseminated like a vlogger outside the prison gates,” he said. “The party realises that we need to do whatever we can to ensure the release of our leader and workers.”
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram, speaking to the reporter, said that Dogar’s statement had been misunderstood.“ He meant that there were several young members in the social media team, but after the crackdown, they left the country and are now operating their accounts on their own,” he said.
Responding to a question, he said that whenever a leader or family member meets Khan, the message is written on a piece of paper and then sent abroad, after which it is tweeted as it is. “The messages are sent directly abroad and then tweeted. They are not issued through the party’s media wing, so the media wing has nothing to do with them,” he added.
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