A recent press briefing by Pakistan’s Director General of ISPR, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has become a major online talking point due to a video showing him appearing to wink at a female journalist. The journalist had posed a critical question about the military’s current stance on Imran Khan, asking if labeling the jailed former Prime Minister a ‘national security risk’ represented a shift from previous military positions. As Chaudhry responded, including the controversial Urdu remark, “Add a fourth point — that he is also mentally ill,” his facial expression was widely interpreted as a wink towards the journalist.
This apparent gesture has triggered a significant backlash, with social media users labeling the act as ‘unprofessional’ and ‘mocking.’ Many have criticized the general for disrespecting both the journalist and a former elected leader. The incident has led to the creation of parody accounts and the trending of “Ahmed (Not) Sharif Chaudhry” online, reflecting public dismay. Commentators have described the event as a “funeral of professionalism” and a “collapse of decorum” within the military’s communication strategy. The lack of an official explanation from the Pakistani military has fueled further debate and speculation about the intent behind the gesture. In Pakistan’s highly charged political environment, where ISPR briefings are usually meticulously controlled, such an unguarded moment carries substantial symbolic weight. The incident has resonated because it appears to highlight a military establishment’s potential unease with direct scrutiny, the perceived erosion of space for dissenting voices, and the optics of a senior official seemingly ridiculing both a journalist and a political adversary.