Inter-Services Public Relations issued a strong-worded statement on Monday condemning Imran Khan’s statement against ‘serving senior military officer’.
“These fabricated and malicious allegations are extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable,” the statement said, calling Imran’s allegations ‘baseless and irresponsible’.
“This has been a consistent pattern for last one year wherein military and intelligence agencies officials are targeted with insinuations and sensational propaganda for the furtherance of political objectives,” the statement said.
Imran Khan has accused Major General Faisal Naseer of masterminding the attack on his life last November as well as being behind the alleged custodial toruture against party members Shahbaz Gill and Azam Swati.
“We ask the political leader concerned to make a recourse to legal avenues and stop making false allegations,” the statement said, adding the army itself could explore its legal options to deal with the ‘malafide’ allegations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former President Asif Ali Zardari had issued statements on Sunday calling Imran Khan’s statements against the army unacceptable.
“His leveling of allegations without any proof against Gen Faisal Naseer and officers of our Intelligence Agnecy cannot be allowed and will not be tolerated,” Shehbaz had wrote in a tweet.
Zardari had said that an attack on a ‘brave and accomplished’ officer like Faisal Naseer were an attack on ‘the entire army’.
Responding to Shehbaz Sharif’s statement from Sunday, Imran Khan asked why was he unable to nominate people he held responsible for the attack on his life in an FIR.
“Why was I denied my legal & Constitutional right?”
He also asked if the reaction to his statements by the PM meant that military officers are above the law.
“If we allege one of them has committed a crime, how is institution being maligned?” he wrote on Twitter.
He also claimed that when he appeared in Islamabad’s judicial complex on March 18, the ISI had taken over the complex’s security in a lawyer and CTD camouflage.
“When SS (Shehbaz Sharif) can truthfully answer these Qs, all will point to one powerful man & his accomplices all being above the law,” he wrote.
Imran Khan has referred to Major General Naseer as ‘Dirty Harry’ - a reference to Clinte Eastwood’s 1971 movie featuring a trigger happy cop - and as a psychopath. He has claimed that he along with former army chief General Bajwa were involved in the assassination attempt that left him injured last November.
He has also claimed that Naseer is a ‘psychopath’ in connection with claims that he was involved in the alleged custodial torture on Shahbaz Gill and Azam Swati.
Both Swati and Gill had claimed they were picked up by plain-clothed men and tortured in custody.
Imran has also claimed that his life is still in danger from Naseer and another attempt on his life could be made.
