Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry

Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry  (Urdu:  أحمد شریف چودہری )  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 comes from Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME) corps.

Family
Chaudhry was born to Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, a nuclear scientist and founder of Ummah Tameer-e-Nau who was arrested in 2001 following the September 11 attacks due to suspected ties with the Taliban. Bashiruddin was released later that same year after the ISI concluded that he lacked the knowledge to pass on nuclear weapons secrets.

Military career
Chaudhry is of EME Corps and previously served as Director General of Defence Science and Technology Organisation, taking over in December 2022 and replaced Babar Iftikhar. He has attended Pakistan Military Academy, Command and Staff College Quetta, German staff college, in which he topped among all international officers and National Defence University, Islamabad.

He is also the first one from Electrical and Mechanical Engineering corps to be appointed as the DG ISPR.

According to media reports on 11 May, 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."