- Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry winked at journalist Absa Koman after her question on Imran Khan
- Chaudhry called Khan a "mental patient" and then winked at the journalist
- Users on social media condemned the action, with one user saying, "A meme of a nation."
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Director General of Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), faced extensive backlash after he winked at Absa Koman, a journalist, after answering her question regarding incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The video from the briefing shows the journalist asking him about allegations levelled against Khan, such as him being a "national security threat", "anti-state", and acting "at the hands of Delhi".
She added, "How is it different from the past, or should we expect any development in the future?"
Chaudhry responded by adding, "And add a fourth point: he is also a zehni mareez (mental patient)." He then smiled and winked at the journalist.
A user on X wrote, "This is openly happening in the presence of a camera. Democracy is over in Pakistan. PM is a puppet," while another wrote, "A meme of a nation."
On Friday, Chaudhry called Khan a "narcissist" whose political aspirations had become so extreme that he believed, "If I am not in power, nothing else should exist," although without naming him.
Chaudhry said that individuals who have been meeting Khan behind bars were being used "to spread poison against the army".
Chaudhry accused Khan of attempting to inflame hostility toward the military. "We will not allow anyone to create rifts between Pakistan's military and its people," he said, noting that constitutional rights include limits, especially regarding threats to national security.
He also reiterated the military's long-standing allegation linking Khan to the May 9, 2023, attacks on military installations, including the Rawalpindi headquarters. "Was it not this same individual who orchestrated those attacks?" he said.
The violence erupted after Khan's arrest that year, when thousands of his supporters charged military and government compounds. Khan has denied any hand in the unrest.
His response came after Khan posted on X, calling Munir a "mentally unstable person" and accusing him of driving "the complete collapse of the Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan."
