Pakistan Army Calls Imprisoned Imran Khan 'Mentally Ill' After He Attacks Army Chief

Pakistan Army Rebukes Imprisoned Ex-PM Imran Khan

Pakistan's military publicly responded on Friday after imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan called the country's army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, 'mentally unstable.' In a televised briefing, Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry described Khan as 'mentally ill' and accused him of using family visits and social media posts to undermine the armed forces and sow division.

Chaudhry, speaking without directly naming Khan, labeled the ex-prime minister a 'narcissist' and said his political ambitions had become so extreme that he seemed to believe 'if I am not in power, nothing else should exist.' He warned that people meeting Khan in prison were being used 'to spread poison against the army.'

The remarks followed a prison visit by one of Khan's sisters, who told reporters that Khan was angry at Gen. Munir. They also came after a post by Khan on X in which he called Munir 'a mentally unstable person' and accused him of precipitating 'the complete collapse of the Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan.' Khan has asserted that he and his wife were jailed on fabricated charges 'at his command' and alleged he is being held in solitary confinement and subjected to psychological pressure.

Khan's spokesperson, Zulfiquar Bukhari, rejected the army briefing as politically motivated and driven by anger. He called the televised remarks an effort to justify a tougher crackdown on Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and to intensify the mental and legal pressure on Khan while in custody. Bukhari also said authorities had already banned further meetings with Khan.

Khan, 73, has been imprisoned since 2023 following a corruption conviction and faces multiple other charges. He was removed from office in a no-confidence vote in April 2022, and his party remains in opposition.

At the news conference Chaudhry displayed Khan's X post and accused Afghan and Indian media of amplifying what he called the 'nonsense' of a 'mentally ill person.' He also linked Khan to the May 9, 2023 attacks on military installations, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, asking rhetorically,

'Was it not this same individual who orchestrated those attacks?'

The May 2023 violence followed Khan's arrest and involved thousands of his supporters storming government and military sites; Khan has pleaded not guilty to charges of inciting that unrest. Chaudhry said Khan's alleged anti-army messaging posed a national security concern and claimed it was being amplified 'in deep collusion with external actors.'

Chaudhry's remarks came a day after President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the promotion of Gen. Asim Munir to the newly created office of chief of defence forces — a post intended to strengthen coordination among the army, navy and air force. The army spokesman defended the promotion and warned against attempts to foment hostility between the military and the public.

Chaudhry also noted that any decision to ban Khan's party would rest with the civilian government rather than the military. The government denies PTI's allegations that the 2024 parliamentary elections were rigged to favor the current premier.