World News | Gen Bajwa Should Be Given Extension Till New Government is Elected, Says Ousted Pak PM Imran
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa should be given an extension until the new government is elected, while reiterating calls for early elections.
Islamabad, Sep 12 (PTI) Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa should be given an extension until the new government is elected, while reiterating calls for early elections.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is poised to pick the new army chief ahead of the retirement of the incumbent Gen Bajwa by the end of November.
"How can a fugitive with just 85 seats appoint a new army chief," Khan said in an interview to Dunya news channel, in a veiled attack on Sharif.
Addressing a public rally in Faisalabad in Pakistan's Punjab province on Sunday, Khan alleged that the federal government was afraid of fair elections and delaying the polls until the appointment of the new army chief.
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"(Asif Ali) Zardari and Nawaz (Sharif) want to bring their favourite as the next army chief because they have stolen public money," Khan alleged.
"They are afraid that when the patriotic army chief comes, he will ask them about their loot,” he said.
Strongly objecting his remarks, Pakistan's Army issued a statement in which it accused him of making an attempt to discredit and undermine senior leadership of Pakistan Army at a time when the institution is laying lives for the security and safety of the people.
"Pakistan Army is aghast at the defamatory and uncalled for statement about the senior leadership of Pakistan Army by Chairman PTI during a political rally at Faisalabad,” it said.
During Monday's interview, Khan said a conspiracy was hatched to topple his government when the country was progressing.
"We said that no one would be able to manage the economy in case of instability at that time, adding that they had no plan to manage the economy, these people just wanted to get rid of their cases,” he said in the interview.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief said that conducting elections were the only way to ensure political stability in the country.
"I can take the nation out on the streets whenever I want, and people come to the streets on my two-hour call…but I decided on peaceful protests because the country is facing a difficult time and we cannot bear more damages," he added.
The Islamabad High Court has censured Khan over his anti-army speeches, observing that everything cannot be put at risk for the ongoing “game of thrones” in the country.
The court also warned that it would not be possible to uphold Khan's right to speech under the Constitution over his remarks.
Gen Bajwa is set to retire in the last week of November after holding the top post for six years.
He was initially appointed in 2016, but after three years tenure, the then government headed by Khan in 2019 extended his service for another three years.
The appointment of army chief is the sole prerogative of the prime minister and it is perhaps the only time that his verdict is accepted by the powerful army without any ifs and buts.
The upcoming appointment is in the headlines for all wrong reasons.
When Khan was in power, the opposition accused him of trying to bring an army chief of his choice, who could support his alleged agenda of victimising opposition leaders.
Since he lost power, the equation has changed and now Khan is saying that the coalition government wants to install an army head of its choice to protect looted wealth and steal general elections.
Whatever the political meaning of the rival rhetoric, the fact is that an army chief is seldom a silent spectator of the political games in the country.
The country had been directly ruled for about half of its history by military generals.
The powerful army, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 75 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)