Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Wednesday berated PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan for issuing defamatory statements against state institutions and said that “no one had the right to do so.”
Asif, while speaking during a joint press conference along with Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, said that the politicisation of institutions — including the Pakitan Army — was highly objectionable.
He added that Khan has often “used state institutions to build his own political narratives.”
Asif further stated that Khan first issues a controversial statement and later retracts it. “To save face, the former premier then camouflages his statements with excuses of context and merit.”
Commenting on the matter of appointments made on merit in the army, the minister said that all appointments and promotions in Pakistan Army are based on worth and attributes.
“Imran Khan should say if any appointments in the army weren’t done on merit,” he said, questioning Khan if he appointed anyone on merit — including Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief ministers — during his tenure.
The minister claimed that Khan’s own party had disowned him.
“PTI members deny knowing anything when asked what Imran Khan said a day before,” he said, adding that whether a statement is good or bad, one has to comment or defend it [as a party representative].