DG ISPR terms PTI an "anarchist group"

Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif has termed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) an "anarchist group" for vandalising several military installations during May 9 riots.

The DG ISPR's remarks came while addressing a press conference over Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

During a question-answer session, a journalist asked the armyman about the delay in punishing May 9 facilitators. The journalist also quoted PTI founder Imran Khan as saying that the May 9 riots were facilitated by Pakistan Army itself.

"May 9 is not only the case of the Pakistan Army, it is the case of the entire people of Pakistan," DG ISPR responded.

"[...] If the perpetrators of May 9 won't be punished than it would be a question mark on the justice system of Pakistan," he added.

DG ISPR also shared the footages of May 9, 2023, riots, in which several military and civil installations were vandalised by PTI workers and supporters after the arrest of Mr Khan in a corruption case.

Following the attacks, several PTI leaders took a break from politics or left the party condemning attacks on military installations.

“We believe that if we have to maintain trust in the justice system of Pakistan, then May 9 perpetrators must be punished according to the Constitution and the law," the army's spokesman noted.

Without naming anyone, DG ISPR claimed that the supporters of a political party targeted selective military installations on the orders of "some political leaders".

He said that nothing was hidden about May 9 and "the public and army have irrefutable evidence about the incident".

"Innocent youths were brainwashed against the army, its leadership, agencies, institutions through lies and propaganda," the army official said.

“When this became public, another lie and propaganda were created that this was a ‘false flag operation’ and ‘we do not know what happened or who did it’.

“For such people, it is said: ’you can fool all the people some of the times, some of the people all the times but you cannot fool all the people all the times,” Maj-Gen Sharif remarked.

Refuting the notion that the establishment and PTI will hold negotiations, the DG-ISPR said that no talks will be held with the party that mocked national martyrs.

"If any political party or leader or group attacks its army, mocks the nation's martyrs, then no one will talk to them," he concluded.