Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, found himself at the centre of a growing online backlash after a video from a recent press briefing appeared to show him winking at a female journalist while responding to a question about jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
A short clip from the briefing, now widely circulated on X (formerly Twitter), shows the journalist questioning the army’s narrative on Imran Khan — often described by military-aligned commentators as a “national security risk” — and asking whether the official stance marked a shift from earlier years.
In his response, Chaudhry added a controversial line in Urdu, “Aur chautha nuqta bhi jor lein, woh zenhi mareez bhi hain”
(“Add a fourth point — that he is also mentally ill.”)
As he delivered the remark, his facial expression — interpreted by viewers as a wink directed at the journalist — triggered instant criticism.
Pakistan’s Army’s DG ISPR winking at a female journalist after she questioned why they are being labelled as funded by Delhi.
Honestly, I am not even surprised.pic.twitter.com/FzA4SMgSM8
— Elite Predators (@elitepredatorss) December 9, 2025
Why the backlash erupted
The reaction online was swift and brutal. Users called the gesture “unprofessional” and “demeaning.” Several posts accused the general of mocking both the journalist and a former elected leader.
The phrase “Ahmed (Not) Sharif Chaudhry” began trending in Pakistan’s digital space through parody accounts.
One widely shared post read, “This isn’t a press conference, this is a collapse of decorum.”
Another said the gesture marked “the funeral of professionalism” inside Pakistan’s military media machinery.
While Pakistan’s military has not officially clarified whether the wink was intentional, the silence itself has amplified speculation, with analysts noting how even symbolic gestures now carry political weight in Pakistan’s highly polarised climate.
Context that made it explosive
This was not an isolated moment of controversy. Chaudhry, as Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has been the public face of Pakistan’s military messaging during some of the country’s most sensitive political periods — especially after the arrest and imprisonment of Imran Khan.
What made this viral was not just the alleged wink, but what it symbolised:
* A militarised state’s discomfort with direct questioning
* The shrinking space for dissent
* The optics of a senior general appearing to mock both a journalist and a political rival
In Pakistan — where ISPR briefings are carefully staged, scripted, and broadcast — body language is rarely accidental. That is why this incident resonated far beyond a single viral clip.
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