Again says ‘only merit’ as criterion to appoint Army chief: Imran Khan

GUJRAT: Amid PTI’s long march, the party’s chairman Imran Khan reiterated that the criteria for the next army chief’s appointment should be based on “merit”. The former prime minister, during his address to marchers via video link, said: “Whoever fits the merit, should be appointed the army chief.”

Criticising Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif for consulting PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif for Pakistan’s next army chief, Khan said: “The prime minister went to a house made of stolen money to meet a convict in London.”

“This man [Nawaz Sharif] was reported to have killed hundreds of people in police encounters. They are going to decide on the next army chief. No one, in a developed country, can imagine something like this.”

PTI chief said that the PML-N supremo will make this decision based on who will save his theft. He added that the “debacle” taking place in London is not happening to strengthen institutions.“Nawaz Sharif always brings up the man who is beneficial for him,” Khan said referring to the appointment’s decision.

Slamming the Sharif brothers’ governance in the past, the former premier said: “They have tried to bribe judges. It’s part of their history. They don’t let the judiciary function. They have destroyed the police. Since the start, they have been trying to either buy or scare.”

The PTI chief added that controlling the institutions is similar to destroying them.

Sharing his annoyance with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Khan said that the ECP connived with the coalition government to not introduce electronic voting machines (EVM).

“Ninety per cent of rigging can be eliminated through EVM,” the former premier maintained.

Imran Khan has asked the nation to participate in his party’s long march for generations to come, adding that it is important to bring justice and prosperity to the country.

“Justice means that everyone is equal under the law. This is not the case in Pakistan. Successful countries around the world have strong institutions. A strong country stands upon strong institutions,” the PTI chief said speaking to the marchers.

Imran Khan added that a country could never prosper if there is no rule of law. He told the long march’s participants that overseas Pakistanis are familiar with justice, and they leave because it doesn’t exist here.

“The weaker people go to jail, while deals are made with the strong thieves here. All of this happens because there is no rule of law,” he said in his address.

Condemning the coalition government for attempting to control institutions, the former prime minister said: “They have never done anything on merit in their life. They want to control institutions to save their money. Institutions cannot apprehend the powerful.” Khan maintained that this is not just a problem in Pakistan, but in all poor countries.”

Commenting on surviving the attempted assassination, Khan said: “They thought I would quietly sit down after getting shot. The nation has awareness. Muazzam and Ibtesam are examples of it. Their preparation was complete. [But] saviour is greater than the killer.”

No rule of law in Pakistan, Imran laments

Lashing out at the Sharifs, PTI chairman Imran Khan said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif went to London to visit Nawaz Sharif to discuss “the most important position in Pakistan”.

He stated that this scenario could never occur in any civilised country as rule of law prevails. He lamented that the corrupt were not facing the consequences as there was no rule of law in Pakistan.“I can’t get a first information report registered as an ex-prime minister because a powerful person is in it,” he said.

He claimed that “deals” were being made in the country with powerful criminals, adding that “no nation could progress without [ensuring] rule of law”.

Addressing the long march via video link, Imran said that the premier had flown to London to meet a “lying absconder”.

The premier is going to meet the same person who was convicted by the apex court, Imran said. He added that PM Shehbaz was brought into power through a conspiracy.

‘Trained shooter, not religious fanatic’

Imran Khan has claimed that the assailant who tried to assassinate him in the Wazirabad attack was a “trained shooter” and not a “religious fanatic”.

The PTI chief was injured during a gun attack while leading the party’s long march in Punjab’s Wazirabad on November 3. A PTI supporter, Moazzam Nawaz, was killed in the incident while 14 others, including Imran, were wounded. The suspect was soon after arrested by the police.

In an interview with German International broadcaster DW on Thursday, Imran claimed that his assailant’s profile was already drawn up and did not match that of a religious fanatic. “He was not a religious fanatic, this was a trained shooter,” he added.

The PTI chief also reiterated his claim that there were two shooters, saying that it was “confirmed” that one person was opening fire from the front with “different bullets”.

He repeated his allegation that the government was behind the attack, claiming that he had already known about the plot and that it was concocted two months ago. Imran accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah of being involved in the “Model Town massacre” and extrajudicial killings.

“Killing is not new for them. As for the military intelligence guy, they were in cahoots,” he added. The PTI chairman said the “intelligence guy” was known for and had a background of “bumping off people”.

Imran also claimed that he would be able to provide all the circumstantial evidence for his claims to an investigation. “Whenever there is an independent investigation, these three will be [found] involved,” he added.

Questioned about his long march and demand for fresh elections, Imran said he was doing all that considering the current situation of the country and to save it from a “point of no return”. He said he would recover in four weeks.

Security arrangements

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan will not directly face the public under a new security plan for his protest march to Islamabad, an official of Khan’s party said on Friday, a week after the ex-premier was wounded in a gun attack in Wazirabad city. 

Khan started his motorized march toward Islamabad from Lahore late last month to force PM Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government to announce early elections. 

However, the march was postponed for a week after Khan’s convoy was sprayed with bullets in Wazirabad, a city some 100 kilometers from Lahore, leaving one person dead and Khan among ten others wounded. 

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party resumed the march with renewed security measures on Thursday as the former premier continues to recover at home, after being initially treated at Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore. 

“We are not going to compromise on Imran Khan’s security,” Mussarat Jamshed Cheema, a member of Khan’s party as well as a spokesperson for the Punjab government, exclusively told Arab News on Friday. “From now onwards, he won’t have any direct exposure to the public in the long march.”