Imran Khan Alleges Army Chief Munir Targeted Wife Bushra Bibi For Personal Vengeance
Last Updated:
Khan, who has been in jail since mid-2023 in connection with multiple cases, alleged that his wife's treatment in jail was unprecedented.
Incarcerated former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused Army Chief Asim Munir of targeting his wife, Bushra Bibi, out of personal vendetta after being removed from the post of ISI chief during Khan's tenure.
'As Prime Minister, when I removed General Asim Munir from the post of DG ISI, he sought to approach my wife Bushra Bibi through intermediaries to discuss the matter," Khan said in a post on X on Monday.
'Bushra Bibi categorically declined, saying that she had no involvement with such affairs and would not meet him. It is General Asim Munir's vindictive nature that is behind Bushra Bibi's unjust 14-month incarceration and deplorable inhumane treatment in prison."
Khan, who has been in jail since mid-2023 in connection with multiple cases, alleged that his wife's treatment in jail was unprecedented. 'The way my wife has been targeted for personal vengeance is unprecedented. Even during Pakistan's darkest periods of dictatorship such a thing never happened," he said. 'She was accused of aiding and abetting, an allegation for which no proof has ever been presented, and she is arrested in one false case after another."
Calling her a private citizen and homemaker with no political involvement, Khan said he hasn't been allowed to meet her in the last four weeks. 'According to jail regulations, I was scheduled to meet her on June 1 but even that meeting was denied, in complete violation of court orders," he said.
He also linked the events of May 9, 2023 — when military installations were attacked during protests following his arrest — to what he called a 'London Plan." 'The sole purpose was to eliminate Pakistan's largest political force, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf," Khan alleged.
The PTI chief also alleged judicial complicity in the crackdown against his party. 'Despite repeated demands, they refuse to summon or examine the stolen CCTV footage from May 9, 2023… Our people are being sentenced without evidence and without the right to a fair trial."
Khan has called for a judicial commission to investigate what he described as the 'massacres" of May 9 and November 26, 2024, and slammed Pakistan's judiciary as being 'driven not by justice but by a desire to protect their own jobs and privileges."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Drone warfare came home during Op Sindoor. Where does India stand?
On July 1, 2021, then Army Chief General M M Naravane had warned: 'While we pursue our quest for niche technologies, including AI, it would be prudent to remember that future wars will also involve low technology, which is easy to obtain but difficult to defeat.' These words ring truer than ever in the context of two recent events. On June 1, Ukraine bombed five airbases deep inside Russia using cheap First Person View (FPV) drones, underlining the need to fundamentally reimagine air defences in the age of asymmetric drone warfare. Weeks earlier in May, during the hostilities in the wake of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan had attacked towns and military facilities across India's western front, from Baramulla to Barmer, with swarm after swarm of relatively low cost, low tech drones for four straight days. Apart from inflicting damage, these attacks were meant to overwhelm India's air defences, clutter radars, exhaust ammunition, gather intelligence, and probe for vulnerabilities. Drones, a brief history Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) date back to World War II and the Korean War, where they were used for training anti-aircraft gunners and in specific offensive missions. Their modern military usage took off in the 1990s, after being successfully deployed in the Gulf War of 1991. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict of 2020 marked a turning point in drone warfare: Azerbaijan's use of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and Israeli Harop drones devastated Armenian defences, decisively shifting the conflict's dynamics in favour of Baku. 🔴 Yemen, where Houthi rebels targeted Saudi oil infrastructure using drone swarms; 🔴 Gaza, where Israel has deployed high-tech drones for surveillance and strikes, and Hamas has used drones for grenades and observation; and 🔴 Ukraine, where both Moscow and Kyiv have deployed commercial quadcopters (DJI drones), military drones (Bayraktar TB2, Orlan-10, Shahed-136), and loitering munitions. Ukraine has notably used 'first-person view' (FPV) racing drones to target tanks, chase individual soldiers and small units, and, most notably, bomb Russian air bases. On June 1, Ukraine carried out Operation Spider's Web, one of the most sophisticated drone operations in history, using 100–150 FPV drones, transported clandestinely in trucks deep into Russia. The target: five key Russian airfields. Ukrainian officials claim to have hit more than 40 Russian aircraft, including strategic bombers like the Tu-22 and Tu-95, and inflicted losses of around $7 billion. Meanwhile, Russia throughout the war has used Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones in swarms to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, and target critical infrastructure such as energy grids. Not one, not two… Swarm drones are autonomous or semi-autonomous UAVs that operate in coordinated groups, much like swarms of birds or fish. They communicate via wireless networks and adjust in real time to achieve shared objectives. Swarms are more resilient than traditional drones due to in-built redundancy — even if one drone is intercepted, others can continue on the mission. Drone swarms are thus used to saturate air defences (a few payloads may sneak through even robust defences), gathering intelligence, and attacking high-value targets. Countries are already developing even more lethal AI-driven swarm drones, capable of making real-time decisions, adapting tactics mid-mission, and coordinating more complex manoeuvres. These are expected to become integral to combined arms warfare, functioning alongside infantry, armour, and cyber units. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global military drone market stood at $14.14 billion in 2023, and is projected to hit $47.16 billion by 2032. Threat of swarms Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, in a lecture in Pune, flagged the rising drone threat: 'Now we have drones as small as water bottles — and in swarms,' he said, calling these 'undetectable' and 'untargetable'. Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), former head of the Centre for Air Power Studies, said that while drone swarms deployed by Pakistan were not particularly effective, the Ukraine example offers some major learnings. 'When you use very cheap drones that carry warheads barely weighing a kilo — like Pakistan did — nothing much happens. They're jammed easily… Only a fool would fire expensive missiles at them,' Chopra told The Indian Express. But swarm drone attacks can be carried out anywhere, and at any time. 'If someone moves a truck full of drones near an airbase and launches them [like in the case of Op Spider's Web], defending becomes very difficult. In countries like India, with porous borders and diverse populations, the threat is real,' he said. Chopra emphasised upon the need for integration across the security establishment. 'Your intelligence setup, even the local police, matter. Even a traffic constable could make a difference,' he said, adding that the success of the Ukraine op was predicated on Kyiv being able to transport its drones thousands of kilometres inside Russia undetected. 'Strategic thinking, inventory management — everything must evolve. A $1,000 drone damaging a $200 million aircraft is our new reality,' Chopra said. Countering drone threats Defence against drones begins with detection. Modern systems employ a mix of AESA radars, electro-optical and infrared sensors, acoustic detectors, and AI-powered fusion systems. Once detected, one option is for drones to be neutralised through kinetic means, that is, with missiles and anti-aircraft guns. But traditional kinetic air defences, especially surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), are costly, and less effective against swarms. Automated gun systems such as C-RAM and Phalanx, which track targets and fire autonomously, are preferred in this role. Even more cost-effective alternatives include: Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs): Lasers and microwave pulses that disable drones by damaging sensors or frying electronics; Electronic Warfare (EW): Jamming GPS signals or communication links; Spoofing: Misleading drones about their location or issuing false commands; Cyber Attacks: Taking control of drones and crash them by exploiting software vulnerabilities; and Interceptor drones & nets: For close-range neutralisation, protecting critical assets. The asymmetry in cost remains the central challenge in anti-drone warfare. A drone swarm costing roughly $100,000 might take millions of dollars to neutralise with currently available technology. This is why nations, including India, are investing in more cost-effective solutions like EW and DEWs. The ideal defence is a layered system, integrating multiple modes of interception for redundancy and cost-efficiency purposes. Examples include Israel's Iron Dome and the US's Directed Energy M-SHORAD. India's capabilities Since 2020, India has ramped up its counter-drone infrastructure, deploying a layered defence that blends indigenous technology, EW, and air defence systems. Key systems include: Akashteer Air Defence Control System: Developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd, it integrates with the Indian Air Force's integrated command network for real-time tracking; Bhargavastra: Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd's weapon system fires 64 micro-rockets in salvos to eliminate drone swarms; DRDO's Anti-Drone System: It offers 360-degree radar coverage, with both jamming (soft kill) and laser (hard kill) capabilities. Drones can be detected up to 4 km away, and neutralised within a 1 km radius; and Indrajaal: An AI-powered grid from a Hyderabad startup that combines jammers, spoofers, and intelligence to protect areas up to 4,000 sq km. Already deployed at naval sites in Gujarat and Karnataka. During the May 2025 swarm attacks, the IAF activated its Integrated Counter-UAS Grid, alongside conventional radars, guns, and missiles, neutralising attempted strikes on 15 military bases and several urban targets. Looking ahead There is currently a race to develop both drone and anti-drone capabilities. 'Even the Iranians are producing more than 20 Shahed drones per day. And these are powerful. India too has set up an ecosystem with 550 startups in the field. Some tech is acquired, but we're developing our own tech too,' Chopra said. The future of warfare is here, and it's unmanned, AI-driven and asymmetric. India's response to the May 2025 drone swarms signals it is rapidly adapting to this future. As CDS Chauhan put it: 'We are at a cusp where war may be between humans and machines — and tomorrow, between machines themselves. Machines that are autonomous, intelligent, and make decisions. We may need a layered and resilient defence system [to counter] this.' With inputs from Amrita Nayak Dutta
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Project Pelican: Canada cracks down on drug trafficking network linked to anti-India activities
Canadian police have uncovered a major drug and terror network with suspected Khalistan links in a major operation named Project Pelican. The crackdown led to the country's largest-ever cocaine seizure, with nine people arrested for smuggling and funding anti-India activities. read more Mark Carney, Canada's Prime Minister, called for the April 28 election in March. Reuters/File Photo In a major crackdown, Canadian police have busted a large drug and terror network with suspected links to Khalistan supporters. Called Project Pelican, the investigation by Peel Regional Police led to Canada's biggest-ever drug seizure – 479 kg of cocaine worth $47.9 million. Nine people, including seven Indian-origin men living in Canada, have been arrested. According to police, the group used commercial trucking routes between the US and Canada, with connections to Mexican drug cartels and US-based distributors. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sources said money from the drug trade was being used to fund anti-India activities like protests, referendums, and weapons purchases. Intelligence agencies suspect Pakistan's ISI is backing the network, using Khalistani groups in Canada to smuggle Mexican cocaine and Afghan heroin. Those arrested include Sajgith Yogendrarajah (31), Manpreet Singh (44), Philip Tep (39), Arvinder Powar (29), Karamjit Singh (36), Gurtej Singh (36), Sartaj Singh (27), Shiv Onkar Singh (31), and Hao Tommy Huynh (27). This is a developing story.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Tight security arrangements made for Amarnath yatra, pilgrims should visit in large numbers: J&K LG
Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday urged devotees to visit in large numbers as foolproof security arrangements are in place for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra and urged the people to visit in large numbers. Sinha, accompanied by senior officers, performed the 'Pratham Puja', which marked the ceremonial beginning of the annual Amarnath Yatra. Sinha also took stock of the arrangements at the Shrine. 'I would request all the devotees of Baba Barfani to visit in large numbers for the yatra and pray to Mahadev for the progress of J&K and the nation. SASB and administration have improved the pilgrims' facilities,' he said, adding that security forces have made foolproof security arrangements. 'Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army, CRPF and other CAPFs have made foolproof security arrangements,' he said. The lieutenant governor lauded the contributions of people of J&K, civil society groups and all service providers. 'I have full faith that significant improvements to essential facilities and services will ensure this year's pilgrimage is memorable and spiritually fulfilling for all devotees. May Baba Amarnath ji keep showering his divine blessings on all of us,' Sinha said. This year, Amarnath Yatra will commence on July 3, simultaneously from both the routes – the Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district-- and it will culminate on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. Earlier lieutenant governor conducted on-site inspection of Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board's Yatri Niwas at Baltal axis in Ganderbal. Sinha ascertained the progress of the work being carried out at the site and directed the officials for timely completion of the infrastructure projects being developed to enhance facilities for Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. At Domail, the lieutenant governor also interacted with the members of the taskforce and staff of BRO engaged in improving and maintaining the yatra track.
