KARACHI – Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday that the armed forces’ mentality had matured over the years and claimed that military intervention was not on the cards.
Expressing his views late night after the tensed situation in twin cities, he rubbished the possibility of a military intervention ahead of the apparent government-PTI clash in the coming days.
“In my opinion, the mentality of Pakistan Army has matured,” he said. “I think the army will want to maintain its integrity and reputation that it has earned recently over the years,” he added.
Khawaja Asif also spoke highly of Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and claimed that the army chief would want to leave behind a great legacy.
“General Raheel Sharif would want to leave behind a legacy. That he would be remembered for starting a decisive war against terrorism, a war which is still going on till this day,” he added.
Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, who was appointed as army chief in 2013, will hang his boots on November 29, 2016. PTI chief Imran Khan has threatened to stop the government from functioning on November 2, as he plans to close the federal capital which he refers to as the ‘Islamabad Lockdown’ plan.
On the other hand, PML-N giants are reiterating that PTI would not be allowed to lock down capital under any condition.
The Islamabad High Court has also barred PTI from shutting down the city. It also convened PTI supremo Imran Khan on Monday to explain his position over his Islamabad lock down plan.
