Addressed to all PTI office bearers, ticket holders and social media workers, the notification issued ‘strict instructions’ that no statements or speeches that criticized officers of the army or the ISI, including the army chief, should be posted on ‘any platform’. It also asked the social media team to make sure that all such ‘negative material’ that violated that has already been posted should be deleted.

Even though the notification is issued in Imran Khan’s name and carries his signature, it ends with a curious use of vocabulary for party members. It says that all ‘friends’ should follow the policy until further instructions are issued.

Imran Khan’s accusations

PTI’s statements have taken an increasingly harsher tone against the army after Imran Khan accused a senior army officer of being behind the attack on his life on November 3. He also named Rana Sanaullah and Shahbaz Sharif as parties to the crime. However, even after a deadlock that lasted multiple days and Imran Khan’s repeated public statements, the three names could not be included in the FIR of the incident.

Meanwhile, government leaders, including the interior minister, have lashed out at Imran Khan for ‘lashing out’ against the institutions.

The PTI chief however, seems to be planning to take the criticism a step further. He said that he would announce the name of another military officer who monitored the attack on his life. However, the name was not revealed in his speech to the long march on Thursday via video link, which has resumed in his absence.