“This Mess Is Imran Khan’s Creation,” Say Frustrated PTI Leaders

ISLAMABAD: Some senior leaders in the inner circles of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have admitted that Imran Khan’s continued use of derogatory language against the military leadership on the social media platform ‘X’ played a major role in the strong response from the Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday.

The media reports in this regard stated that the matter came under discussion within the PTI leadership, where some leaders admitted that Imran Khan had repeatedly used highly insulting and derogatory words towards the top military leadership in his social media posts.

A senior PTI leader told The News on condition of anonymity, “When we do all this continuously and repeatedly, what will we expect from the other side?”

He added that if counted, strong language against the military leadership was probably used more than 100 times from Imran Khan’s ‘X’ account in the last two years.

The sources further claimed that the difficulty for the PTI leadership is that although many leaders disagree with the party’s imprisoned founding chairman on various issues, including his constant personal attacks on the military leadership, in practice none of their opinions influence decisions or messaging.

Moreover, the party’s narrative still reflects the style set out in Adiala Jail, no matter how many reservations there are within the party. Hardly any senior PTI leader reshares or likes such social media posts of the founding chairman.

Most PTI leaders want to cool things down as before, but neither does Imran Khan listen to them nor does the leadership have any control over the party’s social media or the founding chairman’s accounts.

On Friday, ISPR Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry sharply criticized the PTI founder, calling him “mentally ill” and a “serious national security threat.”

Although the DG ISPR did not name Imran Khan during the press briefing, the target of his criticism was clearly the jailed leader and his party.

The army spokesman noted that the narrative of Imran Khan and the PTI is becoming anti-state and detrimental to national unity.

He bluntly called the PTI founder a “threat to national security” and alleged that the PTI narrative was gaining acceptance in international media outlets whose armies had “been defeated by the Pakistan Army in the past.”

This exchange of statements is one of the most direct tensions between the military and the PTI leadership to date, highlighting the growing distance between the two and the ongoing internal conflict within the PTI over what strategy the party should adopt regarding the establishment.