New Delhi: Fearing Imran Khan’s anti-authorities marketing campaign may want to fracture the Pakistan Army, the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) accused the previous high minister of looking for to foment “anarchy withinside the country”.
The allegation turned into made via way of means of secret agent leader Lieutenant-General Nadeem Anjum in Islamabad on Thursday, withinside the path of the primary press convention ever addressed via way of means of an ISI leader.
The cricketer-became politician’s birthday birthday celebration, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has stated it’ll degree a march from Lahore to Islamabad starting Friday, to protest what it claims to be the assassination of tv anchor and Imran backer Arshad Sharif, and to pressure a popular election.
Former army officials, together with senior commanders like Lieutenant-General Tariq Khan, had been publicly supportive of Imran, regardless of the politician’s mounting polemical assaults on Pakistan Army leader General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Lieutenant-General Asif Ghafoor — for lengthy in price of public family members for the Pakistan Army, and currently appointed head of the XII corps in Balochistan — published a black photograph as his Twitter profile to mourn Sharif’s death.
Imran Khan’s authorities fell in April, after a lengthy-walking dispute among the previous high minister and the navy leader over the appointment of a brand new ISI leader.
Even because the Shehbaz Sharif authorities has struggled with growing fees and floods, Imran has staged a political comeback, securing a couple of via way of means of-election victories.
The ISI leader spoke back to sharp assaults at the army via way of means of Imran, whose speeches in latest weeks have covered obvious references to General Bajwa as “an animal” and “traitor”.
“Don’t do this, in which you meet [the army chief] quietly at night time thru the returned door and specific your unconstitutional desires however call [him] a traitor in huge daylight,” General Anjum stated at the click convention.
Political commentator Gul Bukhari advised ThePrint: “The Pakistan Army have been panicked via way of means of Imran’s assaults, however appeared reluctant to behave due to their inner divisions. Finally, the Generals appear assured sufficient in their authority to crack the whip.”
Army leader asserts authority
General Bajwa, who’s scheduled to retire in 5 weeks, had introduced the merchandising of 12 major-popular rank officials — a circulate visible as meant to consolidate the army establishment’s unity.
The General had additionally addressed conferences of officials in Lahore and on the navy’s corps commands. “General Bajwa argued that Imran’s erratic governance had led Pakistan into an financial black hole,” a supply acquainted with the conferences advised ThePrint.
The officials promoted this month encompass Kashif Nazir, Director-General of counter-intelligence withinside the ISI. Nasir had changed Major-General Irfan Malik, who turned into accused via way of means of former high minister Nawaz Sharif of threatening his daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
Lieutenant-General Nazir is assumed to have performed a radical purge of Imran supporters from the ISI’s inner-espionage wing.
While Lieutenant-General Ayman Bilal Safdar, an artillery officer believed to haven’t any sturdy political leanings, turned into given price of the crucial I corps in Mangla, Lieutenant General Salman Fayyaz Ghani turned into given command of the IV corps in Lahore.
Earlier, former ISI leader Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed — who Imran sought to have retained in his job, regardless of the competition of General Bajwa — turned into eliminated from the XI corps in Peshawar. He turned into additionally relieved of the duty of negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban jihadist group, with which he turned into trying to seal a peace agreement.
The negotiations, Indian intelligence reassets stated, at the moment are being performed thru ruling-birthday birthday celebration politicians.
The Pakistan authorities is assumed to have taken into consideration the appointment of Lieutenant-General Asim Munir Shah — eliminated as ISI leader in 2019, after he found out corruption in Imran’s internal circle — to be triumphant General Bajwa.
Lt-General Shah is, however, scheduled to retire in advance than General Bajwa, and the Pakistan Army has been pushing for senior-maximum officials, Lieutenant-Generals Asim Munir Shah or Sahir Shamshad Mirza, as his successor.
‘Imran sought navy assist to survive’
General Anjum stated that Imran had sought to steady his survival in workplace via way of means of making the navy leader a “profitable offer” to increase his tenure in go back for last as high minister.
The navy, he stated, however, “determined that it’d limition itself to its constitutional function”. “The navy had an severe dialogue and we reached the realization that the country’s gain lies in us limiting ourselves to our constitutional function and last out of politics.”
General Anjum brought that, whilst he turned into appointed as ISI leader, Imran had requested him what the country’s largest hassle turned into. “I stated it turned into our financial woes. But folks that requested the query did now no longer agree. In their view, the competition turned into the largest hassle,” he stated.
Few information have emerged at the homicide of Sharif, whose mysterious killing via way of means of the police in Kenya provoked claims that he have been assassinated for pro-Imran leanings.
Lieutenant-General Babar Iftikhar, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, brushed off claims that the Pakistan Army had threatened Sharif. Instead, he alleged, the PTI-led authorities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had fabricated an alleged terrorist risk to steady the journalist’s go out to Dubai.
General Iftikhar additionally stated Sharif turned into used to unfold disinformation on a purported US plot to convey down the Imran Khan authorities.
The journalist, General Iftikhar alleged, left Pakistan on the recommendation of the CEO of the ARY tv station, and stayed in Dubai till his visa expired. Following this, he had left to live with buddies in Kenya.
Sharif turned into regarded to be well-linked withinside the Pakistan Army, and counted Lt-General Asif Ghafoor amongst his non-public buddies for over decades.