Military warns PTI chief Imran Khan of “taking legal course of action” against “malafide statements”

The military has warned PTI chief Imran Khan of “taking a legal course of action” against “malafide statements”.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a statement, on Monday that “irresponsible and baseless allegations” by PTI Chairman Imran Khan against a serving senior military officer without evidence were “extremely unfortunate, deplorable, and unacceptable”.

“This has been a consistent pattern for the last year wherein military and intelligence agencies officials are targeted with insinuations and sensational propaganda for the furtherance of political objectives,” the statement added.

“We ask the political leader concerned to make recourse to legal avenues and stop making false allegations,” the ISPR said, adding that the institution reserved the right to “take legal course of action against patently false and malafide statements and propaganda”.

The statement from the Military comes in the wake of the PTI chief’s remarks made during a rally on Saturday.

PTI chairman Imran Khan had accused a senior intelligence official of orchestrating plans to murder him.

“I am on the roads despite verifiable threats to life. I have already escaped an assassination attempt once. On the second occasion, I was able to sniff out murder planning,” Imran Khan added.

A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz had also criticized PTI chairman Imran Khan.

In a tweet, PM maintained that: “Imran Niazi’s act of routinely maligning and threatening the Pakistan Army and Intelligence Agency for the sake of petty political gains is highly condemnable.”

“His leveling of allegations without any proof against Gen Faisal Naseer and officers of our Intelligence Agency cannot be allowed and will not be tolerated,” Shehbaz had added.

This is not the first time that the ex-premier has made such claims.

After an assassination attempt last year, PTI Chief Imran Khan blamed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and the senior intelligence official for being responsible for the bid to assassinate him and demanded they resign.

On the other hand, In a series of tweets earlier in the day Imran Khan had responded to PM Shehbaz Sharif.

PTI chief questioned if as a citizen of Pakistan he did not have the right to nominate those he felt were responsible for the assassination attacks on him.