Karachi: Imran Khan, the leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), lamented the imbalance in civil-military relations on Saturday and accused the PPP and PML-N of allowing the army to’save their skin’ in corruption cases.
The former prime minister made these comments at a lecture on free speech one day before key by-elections in Punjab, where his party is running for 20 seats in the province’s Punjab Assembly.
He referred to a crackdown against his party after his removal as a result of the no-confidence motion and said, “Because of this imbalance, a scenario has formed that [today] the establishment isn’t seeing [the consequences of] the actions it is committing.””We must defend it; we cannot afford a frail army.
It will eventually be detrimental to both the army and Pakistan if the gap between the public and the military keeps growing, which it already has.
Mr. Khan asserted that the Pakistani military possessed “moral strength,” not physical might, and that this is what democracy depends on.
The PTI leader also urged the establishment to change its mind about backing the current administration. He claimed that Pakistan was at a turning point and that it was crucial that “the proper decisions” were made right now.
Retaining a “failed” administration, according to Mr. Khan, would exacerbate the gap between the populace and the ruling class. However, he went on to say that the establishment ought to distinguish between useful and harmful criticism.
