Khawaja Asif, the federal minister of defence, blasted Imran Khan, the chairman of the PTI, for saying that the next army chief would be chosen from the top five generals in the army.
On Sunday, the PTI leader spoke out against the government in a public rally in Faisalabad, alleging that it was postponing the elections in order to select an army chief of its choosing and that a “patriotic chief of army staff” would not spare the current leaders.
Since then, criticism has been levelled at the former prime minister for criticising the Pakistan Army.”The nomination of the army chief is a principle that the administration will not budge from. Pakistan’s Prime Minister consults the organisation before appointing someone.”
Imran Khan’s statement at the rally in Faisalabad, according to Khawaja Asif, is the second instalment of one made by his aide Shahbaz Gill.He claimed that Shahbaz Gill attempted to sow discord among the Pakistan Army’s rank-and-file through his statement, which was broadcast on a private news station.
But this time, he noted, Imran Khan himself started the second episode and attempted to foment discord among the army’s five or six three-star generals.
