ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice-president Maryam Nawaz on Thursday said that the next army chief should be the one who has a “flawless” reputation, free from any criticism and doubts which is not only good for Pakistan but also for the military as an institution.
Maryam said this in response to a question during her media talk at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) when she was asked to comment on Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement that the name of former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed could be considered for the new army chief if it is forwarded by the military.
“Obviously, the chief of Pakistan armed forces, which is a respectable institution for us and the whole nation looks towards them for the security of the country. Therefore, the chief of the armed forces should be a person who is free from any criticism, doubts and having a flawless reputation. It’s not only good for the 220 million people of Pakistan, but also for the military as an institution. So, a person with a “stainless” [character] should be made the army chief so that the people salute him”, she stated.
To another question, she said that if the Pakistan army has decided to stay away from indulging in politics and work within its constitutional role, it should be appreciated, as the political parties had struggled for the purpose.
“There is problem with only one person with the constitutional role of the army who does not have his own standing in the country’s politics and always needs support, and who is addicted to cheating. It suits him to make the institutions controversial by dragging them into politics and that only person is Imran Khan”, she maintained. She claimed that Imran Khan could not even win 10 seats without any “support.”
“As long as, the institutions were supporting him for the sake of Pakistan, everything was okay and everyone was Sirajud Daulah. As soon as he felt his chair shaken and the next elections out of his control, some became Mir Jaffars and the others, Mir Sadiqs”, she added while referring to Imran Khan’s previous statements.
Responding to another question about the elections, she said that the election had to hold which is the solution of the problems, adding that the current coalition government which is for a short-period of time, cannot take major decisions.
She maintained that the PML-N’s previous government under Nawaz Sharif steered the country out of the challenges of load shedding and terrorism within two to three years.
“That’s why I would like to urge the people of Pakistan to give a two-thirds majority to Nawaz Sharif whenever the elections are held so that he could be able to address the challenges with full force”, she added.
Maryam also accused former information minister Fawad Chaudhry of recruiting his relatives with hundreds of thousands salaries from the national exchequer.
“Pick any department of the country, you will find it filled with Farah Khans”, she said while referring to Farah Khan, a friend of Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi who is accused of making millions of rupees during the PTI government.
She further alleged that it was Farah Khan and not Usman Buzdar who was ruling Punjab during the PTI government.
She further accused Imran Khan of hatching a conspiracy against Pakistan, adding that the man who is responsible for the country’s economic crisis is blaming the PML-N government for inflation and the price hike. She said that the people of Pakistan are aware of the ‘fact’ as to who to be blamed for the inflation and destruction to the country.
“When you bring a cricketer into power, he will do what the situation is today. He [Imran Khan] does not know what the economy is. The way he ruined Pakistan’s relations with other countries will badly affect our foreign policy. We will have to spend years to rectify it”, she maintained.
“Today, I remember the statements of DrIsrar Ahmed and Hakeem Saeed late who stated that Imran Khan was being prepared to destroy Pakistan”, she maintained.
To another query, she also rejected any division within the PML-N of any “N or S” [Nawaz-League or Shehbaz-League].
When asked if it was a mistake to send Imran Khan through the no-confidence motion under such a crisis situation, she rejected the impression, saying that he was sent through a constitutional way and it is incumbent upon the public representatives to come forward for steering the country out of the crises.
The PML-N leader also criticized the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for making cases against her, adding that after Imran Khan’s ouster, the NAB was clueless and it is making excuses during every hearing in the cases against her.
She also requested Chief Justice IHC Athar Minallah to take notice of the “violation” of her rights.
“If there is any evidence against me then punish me, but if there is no evidence then the judiciary should take notice of the excuses given by NAB. My honour is at stake when I come to court. I want to request the court to take notice of NAB’s unfairness as justice delayed is justice denied”, she added.
She further demanded that if anyone is involved in “political engineering” should also be brought to justice.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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