In a historic press conference held on Thursday, the Director General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum addressed media for the first time, accompanied by the DG of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Major General Babar Iftikhar. The two top ranking officers of the armed services spoke about journalist Arshad Sharif’s killing and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s confrontational narrative against the military, his hidden meetings with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, foreign conspiracy, Washington cipher as well as a host of other related topics.
DG ISPR says Imran Khan’s cipher and US regime change narrative is a complete pack of lies
Talking about the cipher, General Iftikhar said that the COAS had discussed the contents of the document with Imran on March 11 where the then-Prime Minister had dismissed it as, “not a big deal”.
“It was surprising for us when on March 27 a piece of paper was waved and an attempt was made to build a narrative that was far from reality,” the DG said, referring to Imran Khan’s rally where he first unveiled the ‘conspiracy’ crafted by America to oust his government.
General Iftikhar then said that several facts had come to light regarding the cypher revealing the “baseless and unfounded” narrative surrounding it. The ISPR informed the National Security Committee that no proof was found regarding the conspiracy against the PTI government, he said, adding that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) also did not find any evidence of the conspiracy.
“This is all part of the record. We wanted to bring this to the public. And we left the decision to the-then government,” he stated.
“The word neutral and apolitical was turned into an abuse”
Gen Iftikhar stated that it was being expected that the army would intervene in domestic politics. “The words neutral and apolitical were turned into an abuse words. Despite this baseless narrative, the army chief and the institution showed restraint and we tried our level best that politicians sit together to resolve their issues.”
ARY News played the role of a spin doctor
“In this media trial, ARY News played the role of a spin doctor in targeting the army and promoting a false narrative […] the NSC meeting was presented in the wrong context,” said Gen Iftikhar. He noted that Arshad Sharif made strong comments about the army during this time but added that “We did not have any negative sentiments about him and we don’t have such feelings now”.
At this time, Sharif and other journalists were fed a particular narrative and an attempt was made to defame Pakistan and the country’s institutions across the world, he revealed.
‘Salman Iqbal should be brought back’
The DG ISPR went on to say that the name of the ARY CEO Salman Iqbal was surfacing again and again in the incident that ended in Arshad Sharif’s killing. “He should be brought back to Pakistan and made part of the probe,” the DG said without mincing his words.
He said that after Sharif’s death, people had started pointing fingers at the army. “It has to be determined who exactly benefitted from his killing.,” General Iftikhar said, asking the large number of journalists gathered there to unearth facts and bring them to life. “We have to wait for the report from the inquiry commission. Until the report is released, it is not appropriate to make allegations,” he cautioned.
Details of Arshad Sharif’s departure
Offering more details of the circumstances of Arshad Shrif’s departure from Pakistan, Babr Iftikhar said that on August 8 2022, ARY News aired Shehbaz Gill’s controversial statements about the army’s rank and file. The statement was roundly condemned, and Gill, the Chief of Staff for Imran Khan, was arrested a day later.
He said that when the head of ARY News, Ammad Yousaf, was arrested in August, it emerged that CEO Salman Iqbal had asked the former to send Sharif abroad as soon as possible.
The DG ISPR stated that a manager in the ARY Group booked a ticket for Sharif for Dubai, according to which he was supposed to be back on September 9.
“On Aug 10, he left Peshawar airport thorough PK-637 for Dubai. He was provided complete protocol by the KP government,” he said, adding that the late journalist was escorted by KP officers to the airport.” The institutions never tried to stop Arshad Sharif, if the government wanted to stop him they would have done it through FIA.
Stating that Arshad remained in the UAE until he had a valid visa, the DG said that the late journalist left for Kenya when his visa for Dubai expired. He said that no one “forced” Sharif to leave Dubai at a government level and questioned who exactly forced him to leave. He also questioned who processed the journalist’s documents in the UAE, who arranged his accommodations, who forced him to not return to Pakistan and who assured him that he was safe in Kenya.
He also questioned who was in contact with Sharif from Pakistan and who was hosting him in Kenya. “Kenyan police accepted their mistake and it has to be examined whether this is a case of mistaken identity or one of targeted killing. There are several questions that have to be answered,” he said, calling for a “transparent and fair probe”.
Therefore, the government has been requested to form a high-level inquiry commission, he explained.
“If you see him as a traitor, then why do you meet him through the back door?”: DG ISI
The ISI chief also made an appearance in today’s press conference — the first time a spy chief has done so in Pakistan’s history.
Talking about the former premier Imran, the ISI chief said that while citizens had the right to their opinion, he asked why had the Chairman of the PTI praise dthe COAS in the past.
Referring to Imran Khan’s continued thinly veiled references directed at General Bajwa, the spy chief asked, “If you see him as a traitor, then why do you meet him through the back door? […] Don’t meet him quietly at night through the back door and express your unconstitutional wishes but call him a traitor in broad daylight. That’s a big contradiction between your words and your actions.”
Lt Gen Anjum also made the revelation that in March, Gen Bajwa was given a “lucrative offer” for an extension in his tenure. “The offer was made in front of me. He rejected it because he wanted the institution to move forward from a controversial role to a constitutional role.”
I did not make an appearance for personal reasons: DG ISI
Explaining his unprecedented presence before the media, General Nadeem Anjum offered an explanation. “I would often see that lies [were being perpetuated] and the youth was accepting it. I did not make an appearance for personal reasons. I saw the way the country and institutions were facing threats due to lies which is why I broke my silence,” he said.
“There were campaigns against me in March on social media. I got a call from the agency that a campaign was underway against me. I told them get in touch when the retweets exceed eight thousand million. Before that, I don’t care about myself,” the DG ISI explained.
He said that he would have addressed the media earlier if it was for personal reasons. “Those sacrificing their lives should not have to face these lies. Hence, remaining silent was morally unacceptable to me,” he firmly stated.
