Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Director General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), is facing widespread condemnation online following a video from a press briefing. The clip shows the military’s chief spokesperson appearing to wink at a female journalist after she questioned the army’s official narrative concerning Imran Khan, the country’s imprisoned former Prime Minister. The journalist specifically asked if the current portrayal of Khan as a ‘national security risk’ marked a change in the military’s position.
During his reply, Chaudhry added, in Urdu, the controversial statement: “Add a fourth point — that he is also mentally ill.” His delivery, which onlookers perceived as a wink directed at the questioner, immediately drew sharp criticism. Social media users have widely denounced the action as unprofessional and demeaning. Numerous posts accuse the general of disrespecting both the journalist and Khan. The backlash has led to the trending of parody accounts under the name “Ahmed (Not) Sharif Chaudhry.” Online commentators have described the press conference as a “collapse of decorum” and the alleged wink as the “funeral of professionalism” within the military’s public relations apparatus. The absence of an official statement from the Pakistani military regarding the incident has amplified speculation. In Pakistan’s volatile political climate, even subtle gestures can carry significant political implications. This incident is particularly impactful because ISPR briefings are typically highly orchestrated, making an apparently spontaneous gesture like a wink highly notable and open to interpretation as a sign of discomfort with critical inquiry, shrinking space for dissent, or the perceived belittling of political opponents and the press.