ISPR warns Imran against hurling 'baseless allegations' against serving military officer

Pakistan Army on Monday lashed out at former prime minister Imran Khan, saying that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief has levelled "highly irresponsible and baseless allegation" against a serving senior military officer without any evidence.

"This fabricated and malicious allegation is extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable. This has been a consistent pattern for last one year wherein military and intelligence agencies officials are targeted with insinuations and sensational propaganda for the furtherance of political objectives," stated the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.

Read more: Imran asks PM if military officers 'above law'

"We ask the political leader concerned to make a recourse to legal avenues and stop making false allegations."

The ISPR further said that the institution reserves the right to take legal course of action against patently false and malafide statements and propaganda.

The statement came after Imran Khan, earlier in the day, questioned if military officers were above the law as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lambasted him for “routinely maligning [the] Pakistan army and intelligence agency”.

PM Shehbaz, in a tweet, stated that Imran “routinely maligning and threatening [the] Pakistan army and intelligence agency for the sake of petty political gains was highly condemnable”.

“His levelling of allegations without any proof against Gen Faisal Naseer and officers of our intelligence agency cannot be allowed and will not be tolerated,” Shehbaz said.

With a screenshot of the incumbent premier’s tweet, Imran said if he can "dare" to ask the prime minister if he, a citizen "who suffered two assassination attempts on his life in [the] last few months", had the right to nominate those he thought “responsible” for the assassination attacks.

“Why was I denied my legal and Constitutional right to register an FIR?” he asked in a series of tweets. Imran further questioned if the premier’s tweets meant military officers “were above the law or that they cannot commit a crime”.

“If we allege one of them has committed a crime, how is [the] institution being maligned?”

The ousted prime minister also questioned who was “powerful” enough to “sabotage” the joint investigation team (JIT) probing the Wazirabad incident while the PTI was still in “power in Punjab”.

Moreover, Imran asked if Shehbaz could answer “why the ISI took over [the] ICT Judicial Complex" prior to his appearance on March 18, and why the 'ISI personnel' were in the garb of the counter-terrorism department and lawyers.

“What was [the] motive and what business did ISI have in the complex?”

He continued that when PM Shehbaz answered his questions “truthfully”, all signs would point to “one powerful man and his accomplices being above the law”.

“Then it is time for us to officially declare that in Pakistan there is only law of the jungle where might is right,” he said.