Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing National Assembly (NA) on Monday, said that the then-PM Imran Khan transferred incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir from the post of Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in 2019 because he had told Imran that his wife Bushra Bibi was involved in corruption.

“I say this with full responsibility that incumbent army chief Gen Asim Munir when he was DG ISI, told PM Imran, that his wife was involved in corruption”, Sharif said.

“But obviously Imran got furious about it and did not like it. And the rest is history,” the premier added.

“Today I would like to say that Imran Khan has betrayed the nation by sprouting a lie. This is the reason why the former DG ISI was transferred … it was because he confronted the then-PM that his family members were involved in corruption.”

On May 21, Khan categorically termed “completely false” the rumours regarding him removing COAS Munir from the post of DG ISI in 2019 because the then-spymaster wanted to investigate corruption cases involving Bushra Bibi.

The article claims that I had made Gen Asim resign as DG ISI because he had shown me my wife Bushra begums corruption cases .

This is completely false. Neither did Gen Asim show me any proofs of my wife’s corruption nor did I make him resign because of that.…

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 21, 2023

The PTI chief’s denial on Twitter comes after a Telegraph report stated: “It was as ISI chief that he is reported to have first clashed with Mr Khan, who was then prime minister. Gen Munir is reported to have informed Mr Khan he wanted to investigate allegations of corruption around his wife and her circle. Then, in June 2019, he was removed from his post only eight months into what was meant to be a three-year term.”

In a tweet, Imran said: “This is completely false. Neither did Gen Asim show me any proof of my wife’s corruption nor did I make him resign because of that.”

In his speech in NA today, Shehbaz claimed that he was not aware of the arrest warrants issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for Khan.

He also clarified that the rioters of the May 9 events will be tried under existing laws, asserting that “no new laws are being introduced”.