CHAKWAL: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, who was recently criticised over his ‘controversial’ remarks about the appointment of the next army chief, repeated that the next chief of army staff should be appointed on merit. “We can never allow Asif Zardari or Nawaz Sharif to appoint the next army chief.”

The PTI chief said this while addressing a rally in Chakwal on Monday. “These people do not see beyond their own family, and hence they have no concept of merit,” he said, while accusing the PML-N and PPP leadership of dynastic politics and nepotism. “If that hadn’t been the case, Zardari and Bilawal would never have become party leaders. Similarly, Hamza Shehbaz would never have become Punjab chief minister if he wasn’t related to the Sharif family.”

Imran said that articles and books have been written on Zardari’s corruption, while Nawaz Sharif is a fugitive, bandit and liar. “Now, will these people elect the military chief?”

In his rebuke, he also addressed the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations Department (ISPR). “You should have understood what I was saying regarding the army chief’s appointment. Today the whole nation is standing with me that these thieves should never select the next army chief.”

The incumbent army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, is set to retire at the end of November. It has been suggested that one of the reasons Imran Khan has been demanding early eletions is to ensure that the PML-N and PPP don’t get the opportunity to influence the appointment of the next army chief. His claims that the appointment procedure could be influenced led to criticism from political leaders and a sharp rebuke from the military leadership.

‘Cabal of criminals’

Imran repeated his accusations that a ‘cabal of criminals’ was imposed on Pakistan through an internationally-funded regime change exercise while blaming Zardari, Nawaz and JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman for the current state of the country’s economy. “The people will never forget about these traitors.”

Talking about flood relief efforts, Imran said that he conducted his third telethon on Sunday night. “So far I have done three telethons in which my supporters gave Rs14 billion,” he said, adding that the contributors know the money would be spent on the right place.

He assailed his rival Pakistan People Party over their performance in flood affected areas of Sindh, where parts of the province still resemble a vast lake. “The PPP have been in (power in) Sindh for the last 14 years.”

Talking about Nawaz Sharif, the three-time prime minister who never completed a term, Imran said that he became prime minister after being nurtured in the ‘nursery of the Establishment’.

“I became prime minister after a 22-year struggle and hard work. Nawaz Sharif became premier by hovering around the doors of generals.”

‘Quaking in his boots’

He then turned his guns towards Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, mocking him over his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he had trouble with the translation headphones. “He was quaking in his boots during that meeting.”

He criticised the premier’s decision to attend the UNSC session in New York. “What is the need for Shahbaz Sharif to participate in the United Nations meeting at such a time?”

Anonymous threats

During his address, he urged his supporters in the city in Punjab’s north to heed his call for public protest. “On my call, you all have to come out to liberate the country,” he said.

He equated the struggle with holy war or jihad, something that he has repeatedly done in the past. “We do not bow down to any American or thieves. Break the shackles of fear,” he said.

He also alluded to the culture of threatening phone calls from anonymous numbers that have been reported in Pakistan, including by journalists. “If a phone call comes from an anonymous number trying to scare or threaten you, threaten them back.”