Photo courtesy ISPR
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday warned that misinformation and propaganda threaten the integrity of the state, adding that baseless speculation and rumors must be countered with a timely and unified response.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS conveyed his apprehensions over disinformation, especially on social media, during two separate interactions with garrison officers and veterans in Lahore. “The Army draws its strength from the people and any effort to create wedge between the Army and the population won’t be tolerated,” he said. “Hostile forces have been trying this for a long time but they won’t succeed,” he added.
While the ISPR did not specify the rumors the Army chief was referring to, there has been a noticeable surge on Twitter and Facebook of posts maligning the armed forces, and especially the Army chief, following the ouster of Imran Khan as Prime Minister of Pakistan. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf denies any formal role in this campaign, but it is undeniable that its supporters are currently comprising the vast majority of the propaganda targeting Pakistan’s state institutions.
As part of his visit to the Punjab capital, the Army chief visited the Lahore Garrison, where he was received by Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Muhammad Abdul Aziz. He also visited the Combined Military Hospital and inquired about the well-being of Major Haris, who was injured in a road rage incident last week. According to the ISPR, the COAS said that the law would take its course for justice in the incident. Noting that the perpetrators had already been placed under arrest, he stressed that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands.