ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties have taken exception to the reported remarks of Prime Minister Imran Khan that the army knows who is corrupt in the country, terming the statement “irresponsible”.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) even called for impeachment of the prime minister for his “irresponsible statements” about the “Pakistan’s military and national security institutions”.

Similarly, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Senator Sirajul Haq has said that the prime minister’s assertion that the army is standing behind him is “tantamount to dragging the national institution in politics”.

Prime Minister Imran Khan while talking to journalists at his Banigala residence had reportedly said that the army knew well that neither he was making money nor was he corrupt as he was working hard day and night and, therefore, he was not afraid of the army.

The prime minister had made the statement while responding to a question about a general perception that he was no more enjoying good relations with the establishment.

Imran reportedly said army knew well neither he’s making money nor is he corrupt, therefore he’s not afraid of army

Mr Khan had made it clear that the government was going nowhere and that “the agencies know who is doing what and that is why those who indulged in corruption, have fears”.

In a statement PPP secretary general Nayyar Bokhari said that the countries were run through statesmanship, and not in a childish way.

“Intoxicated with power, Imran Khan has lost his senses. His cure is only a parliamentary impeachment,” he said.

Mr Bokhari said that making the army controversial through such statements that could cause chaos in the country did not suit a person sitting in the highest office of prime minister. He alleged that Mr Khan was making such statements in an effort to hide his incapability to deliver.

The PPP leader said the nation was waiting for the outcome of the corruption references, including helicopter scam, Malam Jabba, Billion Tree Project and BRT. He also criticised the prime minister for giving a clean chit to those responsible for the recent wheat and sugar crises in the country.

Meanwhile, addressing the Jaffarabad District Bar in Balochistan on Saturday, JI chief Sirajul Haq said this was not the first time that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government had attempted to cause embarrassment to the military.

According to a statement issued from JI headquarters in Mansoora, Mr Haq said the chief executive of a country was instead expected to claim that the masses, and not the army, were standing behind him.

He lamented the rulers never let go any moment to issue “irresponsible statements.” They, he said, were also incompetent and knew nothing how to run the government.

At the foreign front, he said, the government failed to fight the case of Kashmir and at home it brought irreparable damage to economy by handing over the country to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The JI chief said the irony was that the persons who were being appointed by the government on recommendations of the international lending agency were also quitting the key posts. The poor were starving to death due to inflation and thousands had lost their jobs due to the flawed economic policies implemented by the government on the dictation of the IMF, he said.

He criticised the prime minister for making rhetoric about mafias on a daily basis, suggesting him to look around if he was serious in taking action against those who were creating fake shortages of food items and earning billions of rupees through it.

“Mafias are sitting in the government and they make open claims about their access to Banigala,” he added.

Mr Haq said the public wanted to know the names of those who made their lives miserable and risked their livelihoods.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2020