Ex-PTI office bearer admits he ran smear campaign against Pak Army, apologises

An ex-office bearer of the PTI's student branch, Muhammad Muneeb Kiyani, disclosed in his video confessional statement on Friday that he ran a smear campaign on social media against Pakistan army soldiers.

He stated that he is ashamed and apologetic for what he did and that he did it because of the influence of "certain people". 

Muneeb Kiyani stated that he was the senior deputy convener of the Insaf Union Federation (ISF). He stated that he sent out two tweets on Thursday and claimed that the first tweet was created by him, while the second was simply a copy-paste.

He stated the information for the former was picked from the pages Soldier Speak, Uzma Khan PTI, Sabeena Kiyani, and Imran Riaz Khan. 

He said that the error he made was due to the influence of "certain people," admitting "there was no truth in the tweets I generated and it was a big mistake. I also did not verify them.”

Farhat Naeem Kiyani, the father of Muneeb Kiyani, stated in the same statement that his son's tweets were offensive, adding that he accepts responsibility for not checking the tweets in a timely manner. 

He stated that he "owns" his son's error and that it will not be repeated in the future. He further said that they are nationalists who appreciate the Pakistan Army. 

"I accept responsibility for him not doing it again." "Pakistan Army Zindabad," he remarked.

Army condemns social media propaganda

Meanwhile, the military has condemned the social media campaign run against the armed forces following the helicopter crash in Balochistan.

Speaking to Geo News, Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Babar Iftikhar said: “We have been distressed since the accident on August 1. The propaganda has caused immense pain, particularly to the families of the martyrs."

Emphasising that this should not happen, General Babar said that elements spreading negative propaganda and rumours should be rejected.

“Insensitive behaviour is unacceptable and should be condemned on every platform,” he asserted, adding that the Pakistan Army is grateful for the nation which stands by them and the martyrs.