Khawaja Asif slams Imran Khan for 'proxy war'

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif slammed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday for being involved in a “proxy war” since he was removed from power.

“For one-and-a-half years Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan was involved in a proxy war,” the federal minister said during Geo News show Capital Talk.

Asif, who is also a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), alleged that the PTI chief was fulfilling the “Israeli agenda” in the country, adding that Tel Aviv was worried that its “agenda” was being stopped in Pakistan.

The PML-N stalwart further said that the PTI chief asks his people to tweet to check the response of institutions, adding that the deposed prime minister, who was removed from power via a vote of no-confidence in April last year, wants Pakistan to remain unstable.

“They have targeted defence institutions only,” said Asif, referring to the May 9 mayhem when defence institutions were mostly targeted.

The defence minister was connecting the former prime minister to Israel as Tel Aviv had recently targeted Pakistan during the presentation of the Universal Periodic Report of Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council. The report was unanimously adopted, with Pakistan receiving commendations from various states and civil society organisations for its significant strides in advancing human rights.

However, Pakistan slammed Israel for objecting to it, with the Foreign Office saying that Islamabad believes that Israel’s statement at the UN Human Rights Council during Pakistan’s UPR review process was politically motivated.

No name decided on interim PM: Asif

During the Geo News show, the defence minister also said that no name had been finalised for the interim prime minister.

“The caretaker government will hold elections within 60 or 90 days. It hasn’t been decided who will be the caretaker prime minister,” Asif told the host.

His statement about the interim PM came hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured the nation that his government would hand over the reins to an interim setup next month after the completion of their tenure.

“In August 2023, we will give responsibility to the interim government,” he said in a live address to the nation.