LAHORE: Days after repeated opposition to the picking up of the new army chief without his consent, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan hinted that he would have no issue if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decides in this regard.
Talking to a group of journalists at his Zaman Park residence, Khan said that they can appoint whoever they want when asked if he was still adament to consult him or his party over the appointment of the new army chief.
In the past, the PTI chief repeatedly said that Shehbaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari were unfit to choose the new army chief, as according to him, they were “thieves”.
When asked if army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was being given an extension, Khan said: “This is a billion-dollar question.”
Imran Khan also disclosed that his relations with the military became strained on the issue of “accountability” of opposition lawmakers, as the army wanted him to focus on 1fixing the economy instead of going after his opponents.
“I had no issue with the army. Problems only cropped up on accountability matters. However, the army can play a positive role. I believe if the country is to run smoothly, then the prime minister should also be given power along with the management,” he said.
He said that a coalition government had to make many compromises as the prime minister can be blackmailed in a coalition and only a two-third majority gives strength to a prime minister
Registration of FIR
Imran Khan was not happy over the registration of the FIR in the assassination attempt on his life, as he said it did not contain the names he had suspected and demanded to nominate.
He told journalists he would challenge the FIR in the court to get the three persons nominated in the case.
Earlier, in an interview with TRT World, Imran Khan called on the chief justice of Pakistan to be “more assertive” when it comes to dispensing justice.
“Justice persists when every person, even the most powerful, is brought under the rule of law. I, as the head of a province, can’t get the three people to be investigated, imagine what the situation will be for the common man,” he said, adding that PTI’s long march was for the rule of law.
Keywords: Army chief, Imran Khan, long march
