PM slams sinister social media campaign against army chief

Shehbaz vows to crush every conspiracy hatched against Pakistan

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday strongly condemned a social media sinister campaign pertaining to “assassinating” Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, saying that the people involved were brainwashed in a similar manner like those who were before the May 9 chaos.

In a statement, the prime minister directed the agencies concerned to take legal action against all those media campaigners which were responsible for the evil plan at home or abroad.

Shehbaz also bluntly gave a “clear message” to the planners, facilitators, and handlers of May 9, saying every conspiracy against Pakistan and its institutions would be “crushed”.

Shehbaz said that the vile, cynical, and nasty media campaign against the army chief and the army was the result of the planning of an evil mind, adding that the “conspiratorial minds and elements” had once again become active against the political and economic stability in the country.

In the statement, the prime minister said that the new media campaign of the "dirty media campaigners" against the martyrs “is part of the same plan” (May 9 black day saga).

While ordering action against the media campaigners, the prime minister clarified that the “media campaign against the army and its chief does not fall under the category of freedom of expression, it is only a conspiracy”, and thwarting with full force “is a legal obligation”.

“The nation will thwart this heinous conspiracy in the same way as it foiled the conspiracy of civil war in the country on May 9,” Shehbaz said, vowing that the “desperate elements” would not be allowed to create a new crisis in the country in despair.

“The nation stands by its army and its head.”

Taking to Twitter, Shehbaz accused the Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf (PTI) chief of engaging in this "vile, sinister & malicious campaign against COAS General Syed Asim Munir".

“His trick of using the proxies to threaten the Army chief of an assassination attempt has been badly exposed, after his methodically planned attack on the State symbols,” the prime minister wrote.

In a separate statement later, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb castigated the PTI chief for furthering his anti-state agenda through his “proxies and puppets” who were sitting abroad.

“Some elements have been engaged in anti-state activities and treason while sitting abroad, but it is the PTI chief who will be held responsible if any incident of political extremism strikes the country,” she said in the statement.

She added that the reprehensible and shameless media campaign against the national institutions was a direct result of the PTI chief’s malevolent planning and mindset. She stressed that propaganda against the state institutions would not be tolerated.

She said that the PTI chief had been using a group of YouTubers and vloggers as his “proxies” to spread his lies, conspiracy theories, and propaganda, adding that it was the same mentality of launching a despicable campaign against the military martyrs.

“Foreign agent bears responsibility for fuelling political extremism within our nation,” she said, accusing the PTI chief of executing the May 9 tragedy through his proxies who were brainwashed to attack the state institutions.

“They audaciously attacked government buildings and defiled the memorials of the brave martyrs. The PTI chief’s sinister mindset resulted in the burning of ambulances, Radio Pakistan, mosques and schools.”

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)