Islamabad, Pakistan – Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has landed in a brand new controversy after the nation’s highly effective military reacted strongly to some “defamatory” statements made by him on the appointment of the brand new navy chief.
Addressing a rally in Faisalabad within the Punjab province on Sunday night time, Khan accused the federal government of making an attempt to nominate a “favorite” as the following military chief.
The tenure of the present chief, Common Qamar Javed Bajwa ends in November this yr. He was given an extension in August 2019 when Khan was the prime minister.
“They’re afraid that if a powerful military chief is appointed, a patriotic military chief is appointed who will ask them [about corruption], so it’s due to this worry that they need to appoint their military chief,” Khan mentioned on the rally organised by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) social gathering.
In a harshly worded assertion on Monday, the Inter-Companies Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing, mentioned it was “aghast” on the remarks, calling them “defamatory and uncalled for”.
The assertion mentioned the navy management has carried out a “decades-long impeccable meritorious service to show its patriotic {and professional} credentials past any doubt”.
“Politicising the senior management of Pakistan Military and scandalising the method of number of the COAS (chief of military employees) is neither within the curiosity of the state of Pakistan nor of the establishment,” the ISPR assertion mentioned.
Pakistan’s navy institution has dominated over the nation for greater than half of its 75-year historical past as an unbiased nation.
The ruling coalition, Pakistan Democratic Motion (PDM), additionally condemned the cricketing icon-turned-politician’s remarks.
“He’s now indulging in direct mudslinging and toxic allegations towards the Armed Forces and its management. His nefarious agenda is clearly to disrupt and undermine Pakistan,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted on Monday.
President Arif Alvi, who belongs to Khan’s PTI, appeared to distance himself from his social gathering chief’s assertion, saying there needs to be little doubt in regards to the nation’s navy.
“All chiefs of military employees who’ve been appointed in Pakistan have been patriotic,” he mentioned in a press release.
Khan fought again, saying he’s following the “propaganda by the PDM cabal” and promised to present a reply in his subsequent rally in Peshawar metropolis afterward Tuesday.
“I’ll give correct reply to all those that have intentionally been distorting my phrases to malign me. Sufficient is sufficient,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
Khan, whose authorities was eliminated by means of a vote of no confidence in April this yr, has been holding public rallies since then. He says his elimination was a part of a “conspiracy” through which the US was additionally concerned.
Each the Pakistani authorities and Washington have rejected the cost.
Lahore-based political analyst Benazir Shah believes Khan’s statements towards the navy have been a part of a political technique he has been engaged on since his elimination from workplace. She mentioned the remarks won’t damage Khan’s rising reputation among the many individuals.
“Imran Khan and his social gathering leaders have, in numerous interviews and political rallies, hinted that they imagine the navy performed a job in Khan’s elimination. Khan has usually threatened to publicly identify these ‘concerned’ within the ‘conspiracy’ towards him,” she advised Al Jazeera.
“Beforehand, Pakistan’s navy has been criticised for its outsized function in politics and governance and has been alleged to again Khan prior to now. However Khan’s criticism is completely different. He’s as a substitute pushing the navy to choose a aspect, and never simply any aspect, his aspect.”
Following a political rally final month, Khan was charged with terrorism by the federal government for allegedly threatening the police chief of capital Islamabad and a feminine decide for her ruling towards considered one of Khan’s prime aides.
Whereas a courtroom later granted the previous prime minister safety from arrest, he might nonetheless be disqualified from operating for a public workplace if discovered responsible of contempt of courtroom.
The controversy about Khan’s remarks on the military has erupted at a time when Pakistan is reeling beneath unprecedented floods which have killed greater than 1,300 individuals and left not less than 33 million displaced.
TV channel shut down
In a associated improvement, Bol Information, a Pakistani channel thought-about to be sympathetic in the direction of Khan, was taken off air by the authorities on Monday.
The nation’s media regulatory physique mentioned the channel was ordered to shut as a result of it “didn’t submit software for renewal of its licence”.
However Khan alleged the channel was suspended as a result of it gave him and his social gathering protection, calling the transfer “fascist”.
“Imported govt has taken media and journalists’ censorship and persecution to fascistic ranges. Now Bol has been suspended just because it gave us protection,” he tweeted.
Since his elimination from workplace, Khan has been referring to the Sharif authorities as “imported”, a reference to his declare of a US hand behind the transfer.
“Message to all media homes is to blackout the most important and hottest nationwide political social gathering from mainstream media. Unacceptable,” Khan posted.
In the previous couple of months, a number of journalists and TV channels who reported about Khan have been quickly taken off air. The favored ARY Information channel was blocked for greater than three weeks earlier than it was allowed again on air on Saturday.
Consultants have additionally blamed Khan for crushing dissenting voices within the media when he was the nation’s chief.
Defence analyst Ejaz Haider advised Al Jazeera the appointment of the brand new military chief stays a “vitally essential matter” for Khan and the opposition.
“Khan is signalling to the brass that in the event that they don’t assist him, he’ll deliver the temple down on everybody. His assertion, a transparent try to make the following chief controversial, is a part of that technique,” Haider mentioned.
“The narrative is such that the military itself needs to be blamed for propping him (Khan) up for years because the rightful chief of Pakistan whereas branding others as thieves. That is now boomeranging on the military.
“He additionally has the assist of city center courses, most of whom are offered on the concept anybody who doesn’t stand with Khan and the PTI is a spoiler and have to be denounced.”