ALI HUSSAIN

ISLAMABAD: The ruling coalition partners on Monday strongly condemned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s statement with regard to the appointment of a new army chief and termed this as a bid to spread hatred against the Pakistan Army and its leadership and making sensitive professional matters controversial.

In a joint statement, the ruling coalition partners led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P),and others strongly condemned the PTI chairman’s public remarks at a rally in Faisalabad on Sunday, accusing the PML-N and PPP leadership of making efforts to bring their “favourite” army chief allegedly to give them relief in their corruption cases and wished “someone patriotic” to be the next army chief.

The coalition partners described Imran Khan’s statement as an attempt to “spread hatred” against Pakistan’s armed forces and its leadership, besides an effort to make the sensitive professional matter controversial.

“The entire nation is battling the floods while Imran Khan with hatred, revenge and arrogance full in his mind, is fighting with national institutions including armed forces and the people and is resorting to slander campaign with the aim to influence economic revival process and turn Pakistan into a Sri Lanka,” the coalition partners stated in the statement.

They further accused Imran Khan of pitching the people against the military besides making an attempt to pave the way for a clash in the rank and file of the military.

The coalition partners vowed to foil this nefarious conspiracy with the power of the Constitution and the law, and to deal with the conspirators under the law and the Constitution.

“Pakistan will have to run according to the Constitution and it cannot be allowed to be enslaved by the arrogance, fascism, and dictatorial attitudes of an individual,” they further stated.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the statement added, the armed forces in collaboration with the federal and provincial governments and institutions are rendering valuable services to help the flood victims in the country on the one hand, while on the other hand, they are fighting the war against terrorism with courage and bravery, in which many army officers and personnel have embraced martyrdom.

“At a time when the entire nation is united on a single agenda of getting rid of the terrorism, bringing economic stability, relief and rehabilitation of flood victims, a lone voice is spreading lies, propaganda and slander campaign daily to tear apart the national unity through the continued spreading of hatred,” the statement added.

The ruling coalition partners further stated that they have a complete consensus to protect the national interests including the revival of the economy. They affirmed that the constitutional respect of national institutions including the armed forces and their leadership as well as the assistance, relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims will not be allowed to be affected.

“Conspirators will be dealt with as per the Constitution and law, and their nefarious designs to weaken the country will be thwarted,” the ruling coalition partners stated.