- Says Imran violated Official Secrets Act by discussing ‘confidential matters’ in public
- Vows they will fight PTI chief on social media, will take him to courts too
ISLAMABAD: Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Wednesday that the process of appointing the new army chief would start by month-end.
Addressing a press conference here, he said that five senior officers were shortlisted for the appointment of the new army chief, adding that the new army chief could be chosen from any of those officers.
“All names are sent by the General Headquarters (GHQ), and all these names are thoroughly reviewed,” he added.
نئے فوجی سربراہ کی نامزدگی کا مرحلہ رواں ماہ شروع ہوگا: وزیر دفاع خواجہ آصف
مزید تفصیلات: https://t.co/nvpHntfqGP pic.twitter.com/UPOou7yv9y— Independent Urdu (@indyurdu) October 5, 2022
Responding to queries, Kh Asif said he had two experiences of the appointment of the army chief and the process used to start by the end of October or at the start of November.
“Nawaz Sharif as prime minister had set a precedent that the outgoing army chief should have a respectable departure as he should have proper time for farewell calls with his staff and troops he had commanded. ”
He said Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s statement in the US had ended the controversy over his retirement issue.
The Minister for Defence hailed the armed forces for distancing from the national politics, terming it a propitious decision. The politicians had made struggle of four decades under dictatorial regimes for democracy, but ironically Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan was seeking the backing of armed forces, he said addressing a press conference.
The minister said Imran Khan at the same time criticized the state institutions for allegedly not extending support to him, which showed his duplicity.
He said the PTI chief in his speech at the Taxila political gathering maligned the institutions as per his routine in the last five months. He purportedly made statements against the Pakistan Army and the establishment, while on the contrary he was heard in the leaked audio, asking his party stalwarts to manipulate the cipher through changing the minutes of the meeting while avoiding naming the United States.
Official Secrets Act Violated
“A cipher is a state secret. Such confidential matters should not be made public. Imran Khan has also violated the Official Secrets Act,” he stated.
“This person will surely be held accountable. He dares government to arrest him. He will come to his senses the day he goes to jail,” he added.
He also said that lust for power had turned Imran Khan mad, adding that Imran Khan’s mental state was not stable.
“Imran Khan should be ashamed of himself after audio leaks that have exposed his narrative of foreign conspiracy,” he stated.
Khawaja Asif vowed to fight against anti-army campaign as defence minister. “We do not want any relief to Imran Khan. We will not seek political revenge, but this person is not a politician from any side. We are aware of the traditions of political workers,” he pointed out.
“We will fight Imran Khan on social media, and we will take him to the courts too. I have not heard the audio leaks of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif myself. But there is no anti-state element in his talk. In the audio leaks of Imran Khan, there is a conspiracy against Pakistan,” he stated.
“It can be inferred from Imran Khan’s talk that the institutions have become neutral. Our institutions, army, judiciary, parliament and media are working according to the Constitution,” he added.
“Such people had been imposed in the country in the past as well. Imran Khan constantly criticises the army chief. Pakistan Army has made countless sacrifices for the country. No other force has given as many sacrifices as the Pakistan Army. The army is still fighting against terrorism,” he emphasised.
“Imran Khan is constantly trying to portray lies as truth. Imran Khan hurls abuses at his friends. Imran Khan himself scrapped the copy of the cipher,” he deplored.
“Power comes and goes. Imran Khan tells lies in public meetings,” he castigated and asked Imran Khan to tell one case of the leaders of the coalition government that had been forgiven.
“Institutions are working in the light of the Constitution which is not acceptable to Imran Khan. He is turning mad for November. The month of November will also pass peacefully,” he pointed out.
He said terrorists were carrying out activities in the northern areas and the armed forces were rendering sacrifices to end the menace of extremism. “Low intensity war against terror is underway and the nation has to stand behind the armed forces.”
Likewise, he said, big NGOs were working in flood hit areas, the Balochistan and Sindh chief ministers were in the field, and the prime minister was also visiting the flood affected areas, but Imran Khan was not seen anywhere.
