Political leaders slam remarks against army

KARACHI: A cross-section of political leadership has taken a strong exception to anti-Army remarks by a PTI leader, demanding the prime minister and the judiciary take action over it.

In his reaction, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said they were demanding Prime Minister Imran, his social media team and MNAs' propaganda campaigns not criticise army's neutrality. "It should be taken notice of, be it through the ISPR or our judiciary. We will not let such propaganda succeed,” he said. He said it was a struggle for every institution of the country to work within its domain.

“When the time has come when the media is talking about a neutral environment, Imran and his social media team are trying to spread the propaganda that institutions are not neutral, be it through provocation or creating a constitutional crisis,” he said.

PPP's Secretary Information Faisal Karim Kundi also asked for notice to be taken of remarks made by Kanwal Shozaib against the army and ISI. “She should avoid acting like Murad Saeed of women,” he said.

PMLN leader Malik Ahmad Khan also strongly criticised PTI’s social media team. Khan said they cannot be allowed to tarnish the image of the army. Any threat to the army would pose an existential crisis to the country. He posed the question can the country survive if the army is not respected and added only a strong army is the guarantee for a strong country. He also said how can a country survive without strongly adhering to the constitution. The PMLN leader said every Pakistani is ready to sacrifice himself for the development and security of the country.

PMLQ’s Salik Hussain also came down hard against the PTI leader for using strong language against the Pakistan Army and the ISI. In his reaction, Hussain said levelling baseless allegations against the Pakistan Army command and that of the ISI is intolerable. The prime minister must take action to reign in such elements or we know how to handle them.

Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has criticised the social media accounts critical of Pakistan Army and said they were promoting, what he called, the cause of the PMLN. He said this is a ploy to create a rift between the prime minister and the army, which can never happen. He said we firmly believe army is the guarantor of Pakistan’s territorial integrity.