Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz said that the army should not let itself be dragged into politics while telling the director-general of its Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Babar Iftikhar, to be more careful.
The above was said during the PML-N’s Sher Jawan Movement opening ceremony on Sunday.
“Imran Khan and the government benefit if they drag institutions in politics; it suits them. But it does not suit the armed forces and other institutions to appear [as if] they are standing behind a political party,” she said, adding that the ISPR DG, as a trained soldier and spokesperson for the institution, “should be very careful”.
She added that there should be no discrimination, as these can increase the divide between the public and the institutions.
Maryam’s statements were in reference to ISPR DG’s comments on PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq’s statements.
After his comments sparked public outrage and compelled the military to issue a rebuttal, former National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz on Saturday had said that he stood by his statement that the decision to release the Indian pilot was in February last year was taken out of the fear of an “imminent attack”.
Following this ISPR chief Major General Iftikhar held a press conference to “set the record straight”.
The army clarified that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the Indian Air Force pilot who was captured in February last year after the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down his intruding jet during a dogfight, was released only to “give peace another chance” and not for any other reason.
General Iftikhar said that he had a “one-point agenda: to talk about Indian violation of Pakistan’s airspace in February last year”.
