The Pakistan Army on Tuesday sought a sincere and public apology from jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and asked him to shun what it called “politics of anarchy and hate” to revive his political fortunes.
However, at the same time, it dismissed the possibility of any ‘deal’ with the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying there won’t be any talks with “anarchists.”
At a press conference on the eve of the first anniversary of the May 9 incident, DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif said that there was no doubt that the PTI was behind the May 9 riots.
However, he said that yet some people were demanding the judicial commission to probe the events of May 9. He said the army was ready for the formation of a judicial commission but added that such an inquiry should also cover the 2014 sit-in and other related events.
He denied the ‘narrative’ that May 9 was a ‘false flag operation’.
“We are ready… make a judicial commission. The judicial commission should also cover what the 2014 sit-in was and what its objectives were. It should also cover how the Parliament was attacked. How people were given the courage to stand against the state.”
He said that the capital was attacked using the resources of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 2016, adding that Islamabad was attacked again in 2022.
In response to a question about the February 8 elections this year, Major General Ahmed Sharif said that the turnout on February 8 was 47 percent. “Of this particular political party that says the narrative has been reversed, this party got 31 percent of the vote. 92% of the population does not stand with them. We believe that the people are standing with the army.”
The army spokesperson said that letters were written to the IMF, lobbying was done not to give loans to Pakistan, and letting the country default. “If those who were behind May 9 are not punished, then no one’s life, wealth, honor, and dignity will be safe.”
When questioned about the accusation of “regime change” concerning Saudi Arabia, the army spokesperson expressed regret, stating, “You cannot damage relations with friendly countries in the name of expression. This is absolutely wrong.”
DG ISPR rejected handing over military bases to the US and said “Neither base has been nor will be handed over to anyone in Pakistan.” “This is ridiculous. This is propaganda.”
On Afghanistan, the spokesperson said that despite repeated demands and sharing of evidence, the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) continued to operate from Afghanistan. “Pakistan shared credible evidence, but no action was taken. The linkage of the recent terrorist incidents can be found in Afghanistan.”
“Pakistan has helped the Afghan interim government at all levels, but the promises they made in Doha do not seem to be fulfilled. The agreement clearly states that Afghanistan’s territory will not be used against any country, but there is strong evidence that this is happening. In this regard, the Foreign Office recorded repeated protests with the Taliban government.”
The DG ISPR stated that in recent months, there have been attempts by terrorists to disrupt the peace situation in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
He said those who carried out the terrorist attack against the Chinese engineers came from Afghanistan. “The terrorists and their facilitators were being controlled from Afghanistan while the suicide bomber was also an Afghan citizen.”
