Army has no objection to judicial probe into ‘foreign conspiracy’ claim: DG ISPR

Major General Babar Iftikhar says if judicial commission is formed, military will extend full support

KARACHI:

The military has said that it has no objection whatsoever if a judicial commission is set up to probe into the PTI’s claims that Imran Khan had been ousted from power through a foreign conspiracy.

“Whatever commission the government forms, the military will extend full cooperation,” DG ISPR Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said in a TV interview on Wednesday – the day the PTI’s chorus for a judicial probe rose to a crescendo.

“The incumbent government has this option. The previous government also had this option,” the military spokesperson said.

President Dr Arif Alvi has already written a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan calling for a judicial inquiry to settle this crucial matter that involves national security.

In another television interview, the military spokesperson said a day earlier that the National Security Committee (NSC) was clearly told in its 37th meeting that the intelligence agencies had not found evidence of any “foreign conspiracy” against the PTI government.

Read more: Military’s opinion on national security issues is not final word: Asad Umar

Former senior minister Asad Umar on Wednesday sought to call it an opinion of the DG ISPR, saying that he did not agree that “since it is a matter of national security, the army’s opinion should be considered the final word.”

But Maj Gen Babar said in his fresh interview that it wasn’t an opinion – rather whatever he said was based on the reports of the intelligence agencies. He added that he is the spokesperson for the armed forces of Pakistan and that he had spoken on behalf of the three services chiefs who attended the NSC meeting.

“All the services chiefs had clearly stated their stance during the NSC meeting. And none of them said a conspiracy was hatched,” the DG ISPR said while referring to the 37th NSC meeting on March 31, 2022. “The word conspiracy was not written in the statement issued at the end of the NSC meeting,” he added.

In that meeting, the national security adviser had briefed the participants on a “formal communication” of a senior official of a foreign country to Pakistan’s ambassador in the said country in a formal meeting, which was duly conveyed by the ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The committee expressed grave concern at the communication, terming the language used by the foreign official as undiplomatic,” read a statement issued by the PM Office after the meeting.

The committee concluded that the communication amounted to “blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan by the country in question, which was unacceptable under any circumstances”.

The meeting, chaired by then prime minister Imran Khan, decided that a demarche would be issued both in Islamabad and in the foreign country’s capital through proper channel in keeping with the diplomatic norms.