Viral PTI advisory of Imran Khan ordering party leaders to refrain from criticising military

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team checked the official social media accounts of the PTI to see whether it had issued or addressed the alleged notification.

Multiple social media users were sharing a PTI notification on July 30, 2024, claiming it contained directives from party founder Imran Khan ordering party leaders to refrain from criticising the military. However, the party confirmed the notification was fake.

Imran raised eyebrows when he tasked his sister and party leader Omar Ayub in July 2024’s fourth week with ‘conveying messages’ to army chief Gen Asim Munir, asking him to ‘remain neutral’. The duo had, in their remarks to the media, passed on Imran’s warning that the PML-N government was trying to pit the army, PTI and the public against each other.

This had come as a surprise, as both Imran and the party had been quite critical of the army chief and the military up to that point, especially in the wake of the arrest of party spokesperson Raoof Hasan and other social media activists over allegations of ‘digital terrorism’.

After days of speculation about a possible softening of his stance against the establishment, Imran had categorically said on July 30 that his party was ready for talks with the military establishment.

HOW IT STARTED

On July 30, journalist and anchorperson Gharidah Farooqi posted an alleged notification from the PTI on social media platform X featuring a directive from Imran asking all party leaders and workers to refrain from criticising the military on television programmes.

The caption of the post said: “PTI’s new revolution? Party guidelines issued; no criticism of the army, speak positively about the army, especially do not say anything negative about army chief General Asim Munir; action will be taken against anyone who does so.”

The post was later edited to add: “Is this correct or not?”

The notification featured the PTI letterhead and a signature from Ayub, the party’s secretary general.

The text of the alleged directive is reproduced below:

“Founding PTI chairman Imran Khan has ordered all party leaders and workers to refrain from criticising the army. According to his instructions, all leaders and workers participating in the media should speak positively about matters related to the army. Specifically, no negative comments should be made about army chief General Asim Munir. Action will be taken against those who violate these instructions.”

Farooqi’s post gained over 99,000 views.

The notification was also shared on X by Khalid Hussain Taj, a high court lawyer who appeared to be a PML-N supporter from his previous posts, with the caption: “Imran Khan has formally asked for an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance).”

The post has racked up 76,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the issue of the relations between the PTI and the military establishment.

An investigation of the social media accounts of PTI spokespersons and lawyers to see whether they had addressed the matter yielded a July 30 X post by lawyer Naeem Haider Panjhuta, a PTI core committee member and Imran’s spokesman on legal affairs.

“Fake,” Panjhuta declared in the caption alongside the notification.

The official X account of the PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa division also shared the alleged notification with a large red stamp over it that read: “Fake”.

“Please be advised that the following letter in circulation on social media is fake,” the party said.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim regarding an alleged PTI notification featuring Imran Khan’s directives to party leaders to withhold criticism of the military is false.

The PTI itself denounced the viral advisory as being fake.

Evidence and References

July 30, 2024, X post of Naeem Haider Panjutha:
https://perma.cc/TAY6-WRX5

July 30, 2024, X post of PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:
https://perma.cc/XTR6-E5CF