Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that the opposition wants to divide the government and the army, adding that he is not threatened by their agenda.
q, the premier said that the current harmony between the civil and military leadership of the country is historic, which is making opposition sore.
He said that whether it is the issue of Afghanistan or India, the civil-military leadership are on one page. He added that the military stands by the government on all fronts.
Speaking about Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif, PM Imran said that the former premier is “disappointed” because he has a policy whereby “neither does he want to play nor does he want anyone else to”. He said that the PML-N supremo only aims to break the “historic civil-military bond”.
PM Imran said that according to “moral principles”, the former premier’s address to the opposition’s All Parties Conference (APC) should not have been aired, but then hue and cry over infringement of freedom of expression would have been raised. He added that Nawaz’s address, wherein he spoke against the Pakistan Army, was celebrated in India.
The premier said that the opposition is tagging along Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman “because they have no one else”.
PM Imran reiterated his resolve to stand against corruption, saying he would not make the same mistake as former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf in granting amnesty for such crimes.
He said that if the opposition resigned from the House, he would hold by-elections, but they would not be able to win even one seat.
Talking about the recent meetings between the civil and military leadership, PM Imran said that such meetings are held with his knowledge. “What can I say about those who meet seek to meet the army secretly?” he remarked.
He said that whether it is the “N-league” or the much-rumoured “S-league” which people see branching off soon, “both will have no impact which is why they rush to GHQ”.
The prime minister said that he sees “no real political future” for Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
He addressed speculation about strife within his own party by saying that the government was still in its infancy and that democratic parties always have differences of opinion between their members.
The premier, moving back to the issue of freedom of the press in the country, said that he acknowledges there needs to be better communication between the government and the media.
PM Imran said that Pakistan faces a threat from the rise of “vulgarity” due to foreign films. “We need to promote our own culture with our own films.”
The premier said that he sees a bright future for Pakistan and within the next two-three years, the country will emerge strong and defeat all the problems that plague it.
