A day ago, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Babar Iftikhar had dismissed the claims of foreign conspiracy behind former prime minister Imran Khan’s ouster,
He had said that he had “already clarified” the matter and rejected the claim again. The National Security Committee meeting that was held on the issue during Imran Khan’s tenure was attended by top military leadership and the participants were “clearly and in detail briefed by agencies that there is no kind of conspiracy or any evidence of it”, he had added.
Today, PTI General Secretary Asad Umar responded to the DG ISPR’s remarks, saying that the military’s opinion on national security issues cannot be taken as a final word.
During a TV show, Asad said: “At the outset, you were asking me a question that since it is a matter of national security so the army has a final word on the issue, [but] with due respect, I don’t agree with this.”
Later in a tweet, he further said: "No one has the right to twist and distort the facts. The armed forces and their leadership have been the target of propaganda for some time now.
Former prime minister Imran Khan has repeatedly claimed that he had been ousted from power through a foreign conspiracy. President of Pakistan's letter to the chief justice, remains unanswered. A judicial commission should hold open hearings and whether there was a conspiracy will be settled once and for all.”
In a tweet, PTI leader Shireen Mazari said: “With due respect to ISPR DG's statement on the cipher not being reflective of regime change conspiracy but merely of an unacceptable interference in our internal affairs, clearly, there is a difference in interpretation and it is wrong to label those disagreeing as basically liars.
There are too many unanswered troubling questions. The most rational way to resolve what is a critical issue for our nation is for the Honourable CJP to respond positively to President Alvi's letter seeking a judicial probe on the cipher. This is the only way forward to put the matter to rest.”
PTI leader Shahbaz Gill also agreed to the demand of judicial probe into the matter and said “the letter sent by the envoy to the US should be produced before the public along with the minutes of the meeting as this will clear up everything".
PTI leader Babar Awan also urged the Supreme Court to probe the alleged conspiracy so “foreign and local” elements involved in this alleged conspiracy could be exposed.