PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said on Sunday that sloganeering against heads of the Pakistan Army’s various wings was against the national interest and must not be allowed.
It is pertinent to note that PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had referred to the recent controversy over the appointment of the Inter-Services Intelligence director general and had alluded to Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, without naming him. Following her speech, a person appeared at the dais and named the ISI chief, asking the crowd to shout slogans against him.
Shehbaz stated making such slogans against the heads of the army’s institutions in public rallies was “not only against the national interest but there should be absolutely no permission for this”.
He also disassociated himself and the PML-N from the individual who had incited the crowd to shout the slogans, saying that “the one who said the slogans in Faisalabad has no relation with our party — they are not a worker of our party or an officeholder — I say this unapologetically and there is no need for this matter to be repeated.”
Shehbaz went on to say that “The clouds of a new cold war are once again lurking in this region of ours. Afghanistan is our neighbouring country [and] it is the whole nation’s prayers that there is peace and prosperity in Afghanistan […] this thing is decided that this time the whole nation, including the PML-N, will not allow Pakistan to become part of a foreign conspiracy.
“The whole nation is united and we won’t allow a speck to come on Pakistan’s defence and security,” the PML-N president said.
While jeering at the government over burgeoning inflation, he said people had been economically devasted due to rising inflation and unemployment. He said inflation was the top issue of Pakistan at the moment,
Shehbaz went on to say that he heard that the prime minister took along a delegation of 80 people to Saudi Arabia, adding that this was yet another occasion when the premier “took a u-turn”.
He said the rupee was undergoing devaluation, stressing that the trend needed to be stopped.
“If this imported inflation continues to wreak destruction, even our unity won’t be able to save Pakistan,” he concluded.
