Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has claimed that Usman Dar was declared "forcibly disappeared" 24 days ago, and the interview he gave holds no legal significance, as stated in a statement issued by former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party on Wednesday.
It should be noted that Usman Dar, a PTI leader, emerged in the public eye several weeks after the alleged "forcible disappearance" and announced his separation from the party in an interview. In an interview with "Dunya News,"
Usman Dar alleged that the purpose of the events on May 9th was possibly to bring about changes within the military, to create pressure from within. He further claimed that the intention behind the events on May 9th was to remove General Asim Munir, and the numbers of those involved could be anywhere from five thousand to ten thousand.
When asked if the PTI's Long March aimed to obstruct General Asim Munir's appointment, he replied, "Yes, the Long March's aim was to prevent General Asim Munir's appointment. Perhaps Imran Khan also had information from within the military that the Long March could prevent General Asim Munir from being appointed."
He also added, "The incident of May 9th did not happen in a day. There were two groups within Tehreek-e-Insaf. One group believed in confrontation, and Imran Khan supported this thinking."
PTI's spokesperson likened Usman Dar's interview to "old wine in a new bottle," asserting that after spending 24 days in the custody of unknown abductors, Usman Dar's appearance on a private TV channel undoubtedly exposes the abductors.
PTI leader Hammad Azhar tweeted, "The format of forced press conferences has been changed now. Whether it's an abduction or a detained prisoner, now they will sit in someone's house with a cup of tea and an anchor. The script remains the same. We cannot even imagine what Usman Dar went through in the past two weeks. How many tricks will be used against him."
Social media users are also commenting on Usman Dar's interview. Journalist Azaz Syed wrote, "Usman Dar's biggest revelation is that Imran Khan had information from within the organization that the protest would lead to the removal of the Army Chief. The question is, who was inside, giving Imran Khan this impression?"
So far, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), PTI's rival party, has not issued any official statement regarding this interview. However, multiple videos of Usman Dar's interview are being retweeted on the party's Twitter handle.
Some users also suggest that Usman Dar's interview is for legal actions and will be seen as evidence against Imran Khan.