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• DG ISPR brands jailed ex-PM ‘mentally ill’, says criticism welcome, but ‘incitement’ against military crosses the line
• Insists party’s narrative is ‘anti-state’, leaves any action up to civilian govt
• Field Marshal Munir formally notified as chief of defence forces; Lt Gen Chaudhry links delay in notification to setting up new HQ, rules, structures
ISLAMABAD: The military on Friday launched an unusually scathing attack on jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, calling him “a mentally ill person”, “a narcissist” and “a security risk”, while stressing it was for the government to decide how to deal with him.
During an hour-long media briefing, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry noted that the military had never previously taken such a categorical public position on a political leader, describing the assessment as “unprecedented”.
Throughout the briefing, Lt Gen Chaudhry — without once naming Imran Khan — repeatedly portrayed the PTI founder as delusional and accused him and his party of pushing a narrative designed to undermine the armed forces and destabilise the state. However, during the subsequent Q&A, journalists surmised that he was referring to the PTI founder, an impression the ISPR chief did not dispute.
Lt Gen Chaudhry’s hard-hitting press briefing followed Mr Khan’s latest outburst against the military leadership, delivered this week through his sister Uzma Khan during a jail visit after weeks of restricted access. The remarks were later posted on Mr Khan’s X account. Uzma Khan told reporters her brother was physically fine but “very angry”.
The military spokesman rejected suggestions that labelling Mr Khan a national security threat followed a historic pattern involving political leaders like Fatima Jinnah, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. He insisted the military had “never spoken so categorically or with such clarity about any individual”.
He said the Constitution did not permit such conduct and cited articles 17 and 19 to argue that political and speech freedoms had limits. “It is the military’s right to give its perspective after PTI’s venomous narrative,” he said.
He said an internal threat to national security had now become central. Its “axis”, he said, was “a person trapped in illusions, captive to his own self, who believes his desires stand above the state”.
Mr Khan’s frustrations, he said, had reached a point where he believed: ‘If not me, then nothing.’
The spokesman alleged that this narrative was being amplified by “external actors”, including Afghan and Indian accounts on social media.
Lt Gen Chaudhry warned that attacks on the military or its leadership would not be tolerated. “For the sake of his delusional mindset and narcissistic thinking, he attacks the armed forces and their leadership, and we will not tolerate this. We will come bare-knuckle. There should be no ambiguity here. Please keep your politics away from the military,” he said. He accused PTI of facilitating India and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and claimed Khan opposed Pakistan’s Afghan policy, sought space for extremist elements and, if in power during this year’s war with India, “would have gone with a begging bowl for talks”.
The spokesman said anyone meeting Mr Khan in jail emerged spreading an anti-state narrative. “Which law allows you to meet a convicted person who runs a narrative against the state? Such freedom of expression cannot be permitted,” he said, questioning the “politics” that allowed repeated contact with a convict whose statements, he argued, consistently targeted the armed forces.
He said PTI had governed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for more than a decade but avoided discussing its own record. “Why is your needle stuck on the army?” he asked. “We keep saying: keep your politics away from us. What obsession do you have with the army?”
He argued that Pakistan’s armed forces represent all regions, sects and political backgrounds, largely drawn from middle and lower-income families. He cautioned that “no one will be allowed to create a rift between the armed forces and the people”, adding, “These are your only armed forces. You have no choice.”
The ISPR chief said constructive criticism was welcome, but incitement was not. “You do not have the right to inflame the public against the military,” he said, asking whether those attacking the armed forces “intend to create space for someone else’s army”.
The spokesman displayed clips of Mr Khan’s X posts and his sisters’ interviews with Indian media, as well as vlogs and political commentary that he said were part of a coordinated online campaign targeting the institution. He also accused PTI-linked accounts of peddling fabricated notifications about postings, promotions and appointments, including claims of appointment of a “vice chief of army staff” and false advisories.
Responding to questions about whether the military would ask the civilian government to ban PTI if it believed Imran Khan and his party were acting against the state, Lt Gen Chaudhry said the army’s role was limited to giving its perspective. “We are speaking openly because their statements about the army are made openly on national, international and social media,” he said. “The state is above us. Ask them if they will make such decisions. The state decides, and institutions go along with the decision.”
He emphasised that the military is “one institution among several”, saying: “The state is not the army. The government is the state, and we are one important but only one institution.” However, he stressed that the army had “the right to inform the public” when it believed a narrative was anti-state.
CDF notification
The presser by the military spokesman came on the day the Ministry of Defence formally notified Field Marshal Asim Munir as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), and started a fresh five-year term as the Chief of the Army Staff.
Asked about the delay and confusion surrounding a notification in this regard, Gen Chaudhry said the CDF headquarters was being operationally established and required new rules, structures and mechanisms. “We are a professional army,” he said. “We want to do things properly.” He said the armed forces are transitioning from a coordination committee (Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee) to an operational headquarters; therefore, several things need to be done. Pressed on whether the appointment of the National Strategic Command’s commander can be done from services other than the army, Gen Chaudhry said the Constitution had already set out the criteria. “You know what the Constitution says,” he replied. “Such questions try to create a narrative.”
Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2025
