Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Babar Iftikhar addressed a press concerence in Islamabad Thursday to share the facts about the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya earlier this week, the issue of the cipher and the apolitical role of the Pakistan army. In an unprecedented appearance, the country’s spy chief - Inter-Services Intelligence DG Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum - accompained Gen Iftikhar in the Islamabad press conference.

PM Shehbaz Sharif was given prior information of the press conference due to the sensitivity of the issue at hand, the military spokesperson said at the onset.

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Gen Babar said that the people were being misled through a false narrative on the issue of the cipher, with news channel ARY News propagating this view. “They engaged in propaganda against the army chief,” he said.

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Talking about the incident surrounded the death of Arshad Sharif, he said it was a painful incident. “He is an icon of Pakistani journalism.”

He said that the concerns raised in the cipher were the views of the Pakistani ambassador and it did not provide proof regarding a conspiracy against Pakistan. “The previous government (of Imran Khan) used the issue of the cipher for political gains.”

It targeted state institutions and the army leadership. “Specific journalists including Arshad Sharif was fed that narrative. No efforts were spared in maligning the army and its chief.”

The military spokesperson said that one news channel took the lead in agenda setting, while naming ARY News. It is the channel with which Arshad Sharif was associated with for the last eight years until he was let go a month ago.

“There was expectation that the army would interefere in politics. But the army leadership exhibited patience so that political parties could chose to resolve the issue through consultation,” said Gen Iftikhar. “The cipher was kept secret but no one named those behind concealing it.”

He remarked that despite the severity of Arshad Sharif’s criticism of the army, no negative sentiments were haboured against him.

Arshad Sharif’s murder

Talking about the facts, on August 5, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government issued a threat alert. It stated that Arshad Sharif was the target of an assassination that was hatched in Spin Boldak Afghanistan. “The army was not made aware of the source of the threat by the KP government.”

He claimed that Sharif was forced to leave the country. “He did not want to leave Pakistan.”

On August 8, Shahbaz Gill propagated the fake narrative on ARY News while speaking to Arshad Sharif, over which Gill was arrested. ARY’s Ammad Yousuf was questioned in connection with the beeper, continued General Iftikhar.

Meanwhile, the news channel booked his tickets and the decision was taken on ARY CEO Salman Iqbal. “On August 10, Arshad Sharif left for Dubai from Peshawar with the protocol provided by the KP government.” Sharif took the flight to Dubai from Peshawar.

“State institutions did not try to stop Arshad Sharif from leaving for Dubai or have him ejected from there,” he said while raising another question: “Who compelled Arshad Sharif to leave for Dubai? Who had him convinced that he would be killed if he return to Pakistan?

“Which channel was the first to report Arshad Sharif’s murder?”

He said that ARY Group CEO Salman Iqbal should be brought back to Pakistan for questioning in connection with the journalist’s murder.

“We should all wait for the report of the inquiry committee,” said Gen Iftikhar. A two-member committee constituted by the Interior Ministry on the order’s of PM Shehbaz Sharif left for Nairobi a day earlier. It was initially a three-member committee but the ISI member was removed.

In today’s press conference, Gen Anjum said that Lt Col Saad Ahmed was removed from the inquiry committee as the spy agency didn’t want questions to be raised over ISI’s involvement in the investigaiton. “I remain in constant communication with my counterpart in Kenya regarding the investigation.”

Gen Babar also spoke about transparency in the investigation and in the army’s role going forward, including staying apolitical.

He said that he had worn the uniform for 35 years and didn’t want to be considered a and didn’t want to be labelled a traitor so close to retirement.

It is being said that if you want to weaken Pakistan, target the army, he continued. “We can make mistakes but we are not traitors.”

‘Behind closed doors and in broad daylight’

Pakistan’s spy chief Lt General Naveed Anjum said that the nature of his job necessitates that he work from behind the scenes. “When lies are peddled right, left and centre, then I have to come to the forefront to defend my institution, my men and their sacrifices.”

Soldiers and officers who lost their lives in a helicopter crash in September, their sacrifices were mocked and ridiculed, he continued.

He said that accusations of treachery, including unflattering comparisons like ‘Mir Sadiq and Mir Jaffar’ were made. “Terms like neutrals and animals were used,” he said referring to PTI chief Imran Khan’s claims about the role of the armed forces in politics.

“The army chief refused to take unconstitutional steps. The fake narrative was peddled after the army chief’s refusal,” said the country’s spy chief. “An institution cannot be allied with one (political) group.”

He then said that the army chief was offered an indefinite extension in March but he turned it down for the betterment of the country. “The offer was made in my presence.”

Later, responding to a question by a journalist, he said that the offer was made by the government of the day. ahead of the vote of no confidence. Imran Khan was the prime minister at that time who was ousted in a vote of no confidence in March.

“If he was a traitor, why was he offered extension.

“Why make unconstitutional demands in the darkness of the night and make fake accusations in the morning,” continued Lt Gen Naveed Anjum.

He said that the offer of the indefinite extension was made to ensure that the vote of no confidence wasn not successful.

The military spokesperson said that while the Constitution gives one the right to express their opinion, it doesn’t permit defamation. “Statements against state institutions is in violation of the Constitution.”

Constitutional Supremacy

Gen Anjum said that no army personnel had used the term ‘neutral’ and that the military had always fulfilled its constitutional role. “We played our role during the floods, in FATF and during Covid-19.”

He said that the army chief had met several times with the president to bring political stability. “These meetings weren’t fruitful.”

The military spokesperson added that the army leadership was determined to work within its domain. “The incoming leadership will also stick to this decision,” he said.

The ISI chief clarified that it was his decision not to appear on the media. At the time of his appointment in December, the ISPR had asked the media not to run the new spy chief’s images. “But my silence was birthing problems. A fake narrative was gaining strenght.”

The spy chief declined to comment on Faisal Vawda’s press conference a day earlier in which he claimed that Sharif’s murder was pre-planned. His press conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad Wendesday was broadcast live on State TV, with the Press Information Department sending out invites to journalist. It is worth mentioning that the state-run PTV rarely broadcast press conferences by opposition leaders. During his presser, Vawda said that state institutions had made “positive” contact with Sharif while warning of bloodshed at PTI’s long march that will start from Lahore Friday. After his press conference, there were reports that he had been removed from PTI.