The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has urged Pakistanis and party workers to not trust YouTubers Adil Raja and Haider Mehdi as the party leader announced to disassociate from the two former army officers.

“The PTI has its own media and spokespersons, therefore, the statement issued by only these official platforms should be acknowledged,” PTI leader Asad Qaiser said in a video statement as he was flanked by Sher Afzal Marwat and other party leaders.

Acknowledging Marwat’s contributions to the party, Qaiser said that the same YouTubers spread social media campaigns against Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Parvez Elahi as well.

“We just want supremacy of the constitution and law, and will continue to struggle for this cause,” he said.

The PTI leaders never spoke against the military, Qaiser said, adding that the PTI founder has always said that the country and army belonged to him.

“We condemn such campaigns. I want to tell Pakistanis and party workers that the PTI has nothing to do with them and their campaign,” the PTI leader concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan Army court-martialed the two former officers, sentencing them to up to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment.

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Raja, who was a major, and Haider, a former captain, had their ranks forfeited under the court-martial decree, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on November 23, 2023.

They would no longer be attaching “major” and “captain” with their names.

Raja was awarded 14 years of rigorous imprisonment and Mehdi was awarded 12 years of rigorous imprisonment, the ISPR said.

“Pursuant to the awarded sentence, the Ranks of both officers have been forfeited on 21 November 2023,” it added.

The court of competent jurisdiction convicted and adjudged both the individuals on October 7 and October 9, 2023, through due judicial process, the military said.