Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday, September 27, stressed that the appointment of the new army chief will be through “law and constitution” and that “everyone is going to follow it”.
“They want to bring their own army chief… they are afraid that if a strong and patriotic army chief is appointed then he would ask them about the looted wealth,” the PTI chief had said about the government at a rally in Faisalabad earlier this month.
Imran had also called out the incumbent government for consulting an “absconder” and “convict” — former Prime Minister and PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif — for the crucial decision, claiming that it was against the Constitution.
At the press conference today, Shehbaz asked, “Did Imran Khan consult us before giving an extension to the army chief?”
He also said that he didn’t see anything wrong in consulting Nawaz. “What’s the point of criticising my talks with Nawaz? He is my leader and I discussed Pakistan’s issues with him,” he asserted.
The premier termed the audio leaks between key figures in the coalition government a “very serious lapse” as he announced that a high-level committee would be constituted to probe the matter.
Shehbaz said the “audio leaks” scandal was a critical matter and he was in the process of forming a high-level committee to probe into it.
“Who is going to visit the Pakistani prime minister from overseas now?” the PM questioned. “This scandal has put the prestige of a 220 million-strong nation at stake.”
“I am taking notice of this and a committee will be formed and reach the depth of this matter,” PM Shehbaz said.
Audio recordings of conversations between key government figures — including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz and some members of the federal cabinet — discussing governance matters privately surfaced over the weekend, prompting concerns over the security of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Sharif said that previously several audios relating to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan were leaked but no questions were raised on that. “Have you heard the conversation about diamonds? About the piece of land that was given to them as a gift? You don’t talk about it but you are discussing this matter,” said the PM.
“Imran Niazi brutally used his force to target opponents,” he reminded the media.
“He called [ex-FIA DG] Bashir Memon to his office and asked him to file cases against his rivals. This is on record. Did I amend the policy, there is no question about it. You must do justice. I will apologise to the nation if I did something wrong.”
“Imran also sold Toshakhana gifts, why aren’t those audios being leaked. The audios on the increase in sugar prices should surface […] this is a billion-rupee scam.”
“Imran said he will form a commission. Was anyone caught, was anyone punished? Billions of dollars from Pakistan were wasted,” the prime minister pointed out, claiming that Imran’s “corruption is a long saga”.
Shehbaz said that Imran did not spare any opportunity of “Dividing the army and institutions”, highlighting that the PTI chief was creating polarisation which could take the country towards destruction.
“This is an alarm bell. This man is a risk to the country,” he concluded.
