Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday strongly condemned what he called a social media campaign regarding an assassination attempt on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir and announced that he would “crush all conspiracies” against Pakistan.

“A clear message to the planners, facilitators, and handlers of May 9: all conspiracies against Pakistan and its institutions will be crushed,” PM Shehbaz said in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

An “evil mind” planned the “vile” media campaign against the COAS and army, according to the premier.

Once again, he said, “conspiratorial minds and elements” were working against the country’s political and economic stability.

He instructed the relevant agencies to take action against those responsible at home and abroad for the abhorrent campaign against the country’s martyrs.

“Desperate elements will not be allowed to create a new crisis in the country,” he said, adding that the nation stood by its armed forces and its leader.

Separately, the premier lambasted the PTI chief on Twitter for running a “vile, sinister, and malicious campaign” against the army chief.

“His trick of using the proxies to threaten the army chief of an assassination attempt has been badly exposed,” he said.

“After his methodically planned attack on state symbols failed, he is clearly desperate and wants to coerce his way back into power, little knowing that the time of his politics of intimidation, violence, and hatred is over,” he added.

“Through such highly condemnable antics, he is only exposing himself, the core of which is defined by putting his personal interest (power grab) over everything else.”

Shehbaz asserted that the people of Pakistan, as well as political parties, stood “like a rock” behind the army and COAS, against “any attempt and conspiracy to undermine their prestige, honour and integrity”.