ISPR DG says 'did not issue political statements’ during his NSC comments

Rawalpindi: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Major General Babar Iftikhar Wednesday said he “did not issue political statements” when he commented on the outcomes of the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting regarding alleged "threat letter" from the US.

In an interview with a private news channel a day earlier, the ISPR DG had said the military leadership was present during the NSC meeting and the participants were briefed.

He said they were briefed that there was no conspiracy or evidence of any kind [against the then government], nothing like that happened. Participants were told in detail that there was no evidence of any conspiracy.

In response to the ISPR DG's statement, PTI General-Secretary Asad Umar said during a press conference that he believed that "it would be better for the army and the country if the ISPR director-general doesn't find it necessary to interpret political affairs again and again." 

In another response, Iftikhar, while talking to another private television channel today, said he did not make any “political statements”, rather it was a clarification, on behalf of the services chiefs of the Pakistan armed forces.

“I am the spokesperson of the services chiefs, if someone speaks something about the services chiefs, then I will have to clarify it — there is nothing political about this,” he said.

The DG ISPR said he, in the previous interview, responded to the claims of ex-interior minister Sheikh Rasheed that “none of the services chiefs in the NSC meeting said that there was a conspiracy”.

“He was in a way trying to convey that he was speaking on their behalf,” the DG ISPR said, stating that he was the spokesperson of the services chiefs.

The NSC, convened to review the alleged threat letter, ruled out a foreign conspiracy behind the ouster of the PTI-led government in a setback to ex-prime minister Imran Khan's narrative of a "regime change conspiracy".

In today’s interview, the DG ISPR also said the services chiefs had provided detailed input to the meeting and they had presented information based on intelligence reports, not mere speculation or opinion.

“This cannot be considered as someone’s opinion, it was a proper briefing based on intelligence reports,” the military's spokesman said.

Maj Gen Iftikhar said the military had no objection if a judicial commission was formed to probe into the PTI’s claims that Imran Khan was ousted from power through a foreign conspiracy.