Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry

Ahmed Shareef Chaudhry HI(M) is a three-star General in the Pakistan Army. He is currently serving as the 22nd Director General of ISPR since 6 December 2022. He belongs to Pakistan Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.

Personal life

Chaudhry is the son of Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, he was named after his grandfather Chaudhry Muhammad Sharif. His father is a nuclear scientist turned Islamic scholar with controversial ties to Islamist militant groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban and has been sanctioned by the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council and the United States' Office of Foreign Assets Control as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. According to UNSC Resolution 1822, Mahmood provided Osama bin Laden information about the infrastructure needed for a nuclear weapons program.

Military career

Early career

Chaudhry is from the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering corps and previously served as Director General of Defense Science and Technology Organization, taking over in December 2022 and replaced Babar Iftikhar.

DG ISPR

In 2022, Chaudhry became the first one from the EME corps to be appointed as the DG ISPR.

On 11 May 2024, Chaudhry was reportedly elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General.

May 2024 press conference

On 8 May 2024, during a press conference in his capacity as DG ISPR, Chaudhry responded to inquiries regarding the potential for dialogue with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) by stating that “If some political mindset, leader or clique attacks its own army, causes rifts between the army and its people, insults the nation’s martyrs and issues threats and hatches propaganda, then there can be no dialogue with them." He also remarked that the "there is only one way back for such political anarchists that PTI asks for an earnest apology in front of the nation and promises that it will forgo politics of hate and adopt constructive politics". On the same day, PTI termed Chaudhry's press conference as "‘a pack of lies’ and ‘full of contradictions and frustration". PTI also stated that the statements made by Chaudhry would deteriorate relations between the state and its people.

The following day, Imran Khan declined to offer an apology. Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan also dismissed Chaudhry's press conference and questioned his authority to engage in political negotiations. Ayub further stated that Chaudhry appeared "confused and lacked narrative." On 10 May, PTI also labeled Chaudhry's press conference as "unconstitutional and illegal."

Role during May 2025 India–Pakistan conflict

Chaudhry condemned, as unprovoked aggression, Indian airstrikes under "Operation Sindoor" targeting alleged militant infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, during renewed escalation of hostilities between India Pakistan after a terrorist attack in Kashmir.

He held several press briefings in which he presented Pakistan's official narrative, emphasizing civilian casualties and damage to religious sites. Chaudhry said that Pakistan would respond at a time and place of its choosing.

On 8 May 2025, India said its air defenses had intercepted Pakistani drones and missiles targeting several Indian cities, including Amritsar in the Indian state of Punjab. Amritsar is the seat of the Golden Temple, Sikhism's holiest shrine. In a subsequent press conference, Chaudhry instead accused India itself of launching ballistic missiles at Amritsar. He claimed India was targeting its own Sikh population and expressed sympathies for "Sikhs and minorities" in India. India denied the allegation of targeting its own cities as a "deranged fantasy" and called it an attempt to stoke internal religious division in the midst of the conflict.

Chaudhry further accused India of launching drone strikes and ballistic missile attacks into Afghanistan immediately after targeting Amritsar. This was denied by both the Taliban government of Afghanistan and the Indian government.

Criticism

During the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry defended Hafiz Abdur Rauf after he was seen leading mourners, including Pakistani military officers in uniform, in funeral prayers for militants killed in India’s Operation Sindoor. Chaudhry described Rauf as a “religious leader” and “common family man,” presenting his Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) claiming he was affiliated with the welfare wing of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League. However, details like the CNIC number identified Rauf as a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba operative and former head of the banned Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, both listed as terrorist entities under U.S. and UN sanctions.

Following India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam attack, Chaudhary stated, ''“If you block our water, we will choke your breath.”'' He reportedly made the remarks during an address at a university in Pakistan. After the video emerged in late May 2025, it was widely criticized by Indian media. Mariam Solaimankhil, an Afghan politician, noted that the remarks appeared to mirror those of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed. She stated that the phrase seemed copied word for word, suggesting that the Pakistani military establishment may be echoing the rhetoric of recognized terrorists.

On 23 May 2025, during a press conference, Chaudhary labelled human rights activist Mahrang Baloch a "terrorist-proxy." He further asked the media outlets to expose what he reportedly described as her "sinister face". In response, Farhatullah Babar, head of the Pakistan People's Party Human Rights Committee, cautioned against branding Mahrang Baloch or her associates as terrorists without due process or concrete evidence. He wrote on X, advising the leadership to “curb the impulse to dub rights defenders as terrorists.” Mahrang Baloch described the allegations as "unsubstantiated" and stated that the press conference had been “widely misused” to misrepresent her stance. She asserted that, during her own March press conference, she had not endorsed or supported any acts of violence.

Notes

Reference

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaudhry, Sharif, Ahmed
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Pakistan Army lieutenant generals
Directors-general of the Inter-Services Public Relations
Pakistan Command and Staff College alumni