PTI founder Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated in Adiala Jail, said on Wednesday that certain individuals with no understanding of social media were dishing out “digital terrorism” labels.
Faced with an intensifying wave of criticism on social media, the army in May had labelled such expressions as “digital terrorism” and declared a firm commitment to combat and defeat anti-military campaigns proliferating across online platforms.
The statement that marked further stiffening of the stance of the military towards online dissent and suggested an impending crackdown against the critics had come at the end of the 83rd Formation Commanders Conference.
Over the past couple of years, social media campaigns against the army have escalated, reflecting broader tensions within the country’s political and social fabric. The government, often in tandem with the military, has responded with stringent measures aimed at controlling the narrative and stifling dissent.
These measures have led to numerous arrests and legal actions against journalists and social media users accused of disseminating “negative propaganda” against the military and the state. Additionally, there have been several instances of restricted internet access, and notable social media platforms like X have faced bans.
The military’s reaction had come against the backdrop of a post on Imran’s X account in which he urged his followers to study the Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report on the events leading to the separation of East Pakistan.
The term had featured again in the 265th Corps Commanders’ Conference earlier this month. The attendees had stressed that the “onslaught of politically motivated digital terrorism, unleashed by conspirators, duly abetted by their foreign cohorts against state institutions” was meant to induce “despondency in the nation and sow discord through peddling of blatant lies, fake news and propaganda”.
A day after the top military moot, the PTI had said that labelling free speech as “digital terrorism” would be detrimental to both the country and institutions.
Earlier this week, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif had said during a press conference that a false narrative was being propagated against the army and its leadership on social media, where “digital terrorists” were using tools such as cell phones, computers, falsehood, and propaganda to impose their will on society “akin to terrorists”.
The military spokesperson was criticised by the PTI which said the press conference was not warranted.
Today, a post on Imran’s X account said: “The nation is being hated by calling the entire Pakistani nation as terrorists. A few people living in the 70s who are completely ignorant of how social media works are distributing the title of digital terrorism.”
He said that if everyone who supported his party was regarded as a “digital terrorist” then a gap would be created between the military forces and the people.
“Ninety per cent of the population stands with PTI, 90pc of the people voted in the favour of PTI,” Imran said, adding that people inciting hatred should be mindful of their actions.
“The same thing happened in 1971. On March 25, when Yahya Khan conducted an operation against a large number of people in Dhaka, the results were not good for the country,” he said.
“If the majority of the population are called terrorists even now, it will have dangerous consequences for the country,” he warned.
“Countries, governments and societies are built on the basis of ethics. In a society where morals disappear, nothing remains. Today, if people are badmouthing you, they are only talking about the supremacy of the Constitution.”
The former prime minister said that demanding supremacy of the Constitution and actual freedom was not treason.
He said the “ridiculous cases” being made against the party’s leaders and workers meant that they were “working perfectly peacefully and you began using fascist tactics against them when you could not control them peacefully”.
Imran said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has been instructed to lead a rally in Islamabad.
“The entire nation should prepared to fully participate in the rally for achieving true freedom against the oppressive and fascist system prevailing in the country,” he said.
Addressing the issue of media reports that said Imran had, while speaking to journalists at Adiala jail, acknowledged that he had called for a protest outside the General Headquarters (GHQ) if he was arrested, the former premier said: “A narrative was created in the media under a specific agenda that I incited the people to protest by going to GHQ, whereas the fact is that there is no example of violent protest in the history of PTI spanning almost three decades.”
Imran said the element of violence was not a part of the political training of his party’s political workers. “PTI believes in political, constitutional and legal struggle,” he added.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called out the PTI for carrying out an alleged propaganda campaign against the armed forces, adding that such actions would “not be tolerated at all.”
PM Shehbaz declared a zero-tolerance policy for propaganda against the armed forces.
