KARAK – Ousted prime minister Imran Khan reiterated on Sunday that he wanted army chief’s appointed on merit.
Speaking to a public gathering in the tribal area of Karak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the former prime minister responded to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s comment that Khan wanted to “appoint an army chief of his choice”.
Replying to Bilawal remarks, Khan said: “They say Imran Khan wanted to appoint the army chief of his choice. Let me make it clear that I do not want an army chief [of my choice]. All I care about is a merit-based appointment.”
Criticising the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership, Khan said PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz was “incapable of telling the truth”. He once again accused her of keeping nepotism above national interest. “Maryam wants to import power plant machinery from India for her son-in-law,” he said, referring to a leaked conversation allegedly between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a senior government official that went viral on social media over the weekend.
The audio allegedly featured Sharif talking to an unidentified person about the import of a power plant from India as requested by Maryam Nawaz on behalf of her son-in-law.
“Our government had stopped trade with India because it broke international law and ended the special status of Kashmir,” Khan said, adding that PDM leaders came to power to enjoy “personal benefits”.
“The only reason for them to come to power is to continue with their corrupt practices. Whenever these people came to power, the debts of the country increased,” he alleged.
Censuring the PML-N leadership, Khan said Nawaz Sharif’s sons live in houses worth billions of rupees in the most expensive area of London.
“Even the prime minister of Great Britain cannot live in a house where Hassan Nawaz lives because it costs Rs10 billion,” he said. “And when questioned about where he acquired so much wealth from, Hassan said he was not answerable because he was not a Pakistani citizen,” he said.
Turning to Ishaq Dar, who is reportedly returning to Pakistan from London next week to assume the office of the finance minister, Khan said his sons live abroad and he was coming back to mint money.
