LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan for what it called making controversial the appointment of new army chief, saying the final decision in this regard would be taken by the prime minister in consultation with the (PDM) coalition partners.

“Imran Khan, for his vested interest, is making controversial the appointment of new army chief. It is a foolish idea to link Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s London visit to the posting of the new chief of army staff,” PPP Punjab chapter secretary general Syed Hassan Murtaza said here on Sunday in a statement.The PTI leadership claims Prime Minister Sharif is in London to consult his elder brother and ousted premier Nawaz Sharif on the issue.

But Mr Murtaza, rejecting the PTI claim, says the prime minister will consult the coalition partners before making a decision on the posting.

He chided the PTI leadership for “politicising” the issue and argued that those who tendered their resignations from the National Assembly had no constitutional right to discuss the appointment of the army chief.

He regretted that Imran Khan was holding public meetings, without caring about the people affected by the unprecedented floods in the history of the country.

Meanwhile, referring to the PTI chairman’s threat of a “long march” on Islamabad, PPP leaders Chaudhry Akhtar and Osman Malik said in a statement here that it’s only a bluff and added referring to Imran Khan that the ‘blue-eyed’ was spreading political instability in the country only to become a ‘selected’ ruler again.

They alleged that “thieves” and “foreign-funded” parties did not care about anyone but themselves, as they just wanted to be in power by spreading anarchy in the country.

They said if the accused in a contempt of court case (Imran) went scot-free in the case, it would not be good for the development and stability of the country.

They wondered that even after sinking the ship of the country’s economy during his four years in power, Imran Khan still considered himself as a righteous and trustworthy leader.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2022