Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum joined Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Lt Gen Babar Iftikhar in an unprecedented press conference on Tuesday to talk about the killing of Arshad Sharif, saying ARY News played the role of a spin doctor in targeting the army, demanding that Salman Iqbal should be brought back to Pakistan to include in Arshad’s murder probe.
This is the first time in Pakistan’s history that the head of the country’s spy agency has directly addressed the media.
Gen Iftikhar, at the outset of the press conference, said the purpose of today’s media talk was to shed light on the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya and the circumstances surrounding it.
DG ISPR termed the Arshad Sharif’s death an “unfortunate incident”, stressing the need to separate facts from fiction.
“Pakistan’s institutions and especially the army leadership was targeted and it was linked with treason and regime change operation,” said Lt Gen Iftikhar. He shared that during this time Sharif and other senior journalists were fed a specific narrative.
While mentioning ARY news, the DG ISPR said that during the media trial the private TV channel acted as a spin doctor in spreading the false narrative against the Pakistan Army and leadership.
DG ISPR further said that on August 8, Shahbaz Gill’s statement on ARY News regarding the country’s institutions was condemned and the politician was arrested a day later. He said that when ARY News head Ammad Yousuf was arrested in August, it emerged that ARY CEO Salman Iqbal had asked the former to send Sharif abroad as soon as possible.
The DG ISPR stated that a manager in the ARY Group booked a ticket for Sharif for Dubai, according to which he was supposed to be back on September 9.
“On Aug 10, he left Peshawar airport thorough EK-637 for Dubai. He was provided complete protocol by the KP government,” he said, adding that the late journalist was escorted by KP officers to the airport.
“Arshad remained in the UAE until he had a valid visa. He left for Kenya when his visa for Dubai expired.”
He said that no one “forced” Sharif to leave Dubai at a government level and questioned who exactly forced him to leave. He also questioned who processed the journalist’s documents in the UAE, who looked after his accommodation, who forced him to not return to Pakistan and who assured him that he was safe in Kenya.
He also questioned who was in contact with Sharif from Pakistan and who was hosting him in Kenya.
The DG ISPR went on to say that the name of the ARY CEO was surfacing again and again. “He should be brought back to Pakistan and made part of the probe.”
