Islamabad: Calling him a “player of the undemocratic game”, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Saturday that PTI Chairman Imran Khan is out to dispute the constitutional appointment of the Army chief, according to a media report.
“Khan wants to controversialise this critical appointment as well as the execution of the Constitution through his politics of protest,” Bilawal told journalists in Islamabad, The News reported.
“Khan’s long march has no democratic agenda behind it,” added.
Zardari also said he is warning Imran Khan and other forces to refrain from playing such games, The News reported.
He said only the Prime Minister of Pakistan is authorised to appoint the Army chief and “we are going to stand by whoever our premier names as the new Chief of the Army Staff”.
Zardari also advised Imran Khan to first let the Prime Minister decide on the appointment and then descend on the federal capital with his cohorts for a rally.
“The process of the appointment is scheduled to start by next week. He should allow to constitutional procedure to take its course. He can march a week after the appointment of the new Army chief.”
Replying to a question, the minister said he doesn’t think PTI’s long march protest has ‘nothing’ to do with the postponement of Saudi crown Mohamad bin Salman’s visit to Pakistan.
“It may have a minor role in the shelving of the Saudi head of the state’s visit,” Zardari said.
Zardari also said that Khan plunged the country into an economic crisis and claimed that the former Prime Minister was also conspiring to fail Pakistan’s loan agreement with the IMF.
(IANS)
