Attempt to make senior Pak Army leadership controversial is regrettable: ISPR

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday, while reacting to the statement of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, said that the attempt to make the senior leadership of the Pakistan Army controversial is regrettable. In a statement issued on Monday, the ISPR said that the attempt to make the senior leadership of the Pakistan Army controversial at a critical time is very regrettable. "Pakistan Army is sacrificing lives every day for the security and safety of the nation," it said. At his rally in Faisalabad on Sunday, the former alleged that Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari wanted to appoint the army chief of their choice because if a "strong and patriotic army chief" came, they would be questioned about their loot. The statement further said there is deep anger in the Pakistan Army over the defamatory and extremely unnecessary statement. The attempt to make the senior leadership of the Pakistan Army controversial at a critical time is very sad. "It is neither in the interest of Pakistan nor in the interest of the Pakistan Army to make the method of appointment of the Army Chief controversial, adding that the Pakistan Army is committed to the supremacy of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," the ISPR added. Earlier, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) strongly condemned the anti-army statements of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. The multi-party alliance, in a joint statement, said that respect for the leadership of all state institutions will be ensured and elements which are conspiring to weaken the country will be dealt with as per law. PDM said that Imran Khan tried to make sensitive professional matters of the armed forces controversial. The entire nation is battling with floods, but egoistic Imran Khan is trying to drive a wedge between the armed forces and the masses. The alliance further said that the country cannot be left at the mercy of an arrogant and fascist man. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also strongly denounced statements by PTI Chairman Imran Khan against state institutions. In a statement, he said Imran Khan’s highly condemnable campaign of defaming institutions and spreading hatred against them is reaching a new extreme every day. The Prime Minister expressed regret that the PTI Chairman is now resorting directly to mudslinging and toxic allegations against the armed forces and their leadership on sensitive professional matters. Imran Khan’s agenda is to stoke anarchy and weaken the country, the premier said. On the other hand, former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) president, Asif Ali Zardari, said that Imran Khan is maligning the state institutions. Zardari in his statement, Zardari said that the entire nation knows by now who is the real Fitna (evil) of this country. The PPP leader said that his speech exposed him to the nation. He also lambasted the PTI for staging public rallies when the entire nation is trying to help flood victims. "This man is determined to weaken the country, but we won’t let that happen," he alleged, vowing that the government won’t let the state institutions and generals fall prey to Imran’s "lust".