Mahmood slams Sharif for anti-army statements
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Leaders of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continued to react to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s statements about the army chief, with the provincial chief minister on Sunday declaring that such statements can only be expected from the enemies of the country.
In a statement on Sunday, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan termed statements of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif an anti-state agenda.
The chief minister said that the army has rendered unprecedented sacrifices for the safety and security of the country with thousands of personnel laying down their lives for the sake of the motherland. He added that every citizen of the country stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the military.
He condemned Sharif’s statement and termed it an attack on the entire military and asked PML-N workers to equally condemn the statement of their party’s supremo and disown it.
Holding Nawaz responsible for the economic ills plaguing the country, the chief minister said that despite being in power three times, the PML-N chief did not do anything for the people. Rather, Mahmood accused the former prime minister and his family of only plundering resources of the country to expand their family businesses.
He claimed that the people have rejected Nawaz and reposed full confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“The incumbent government is making efforts to pull the country out of multiple crises which were left by the previous governments,” he added.
CM Mahmood further said that the incumbent civil and military leadership are on the same page and this is not acceptable to Nawaz, which is why he is making such baseless statements against the government, the military and the judiciary.
The provincial chief executive added that the country still faces multiple external and internal challenges, and it cannot afford a baseless narrative against national institutions.
“The political career of Nawaz is over and by giving such statements he is attempting to make himself relevant,” he added.
Meanwhile, PTI Provincial Assembly Member Azizullah Gran in a statement on Sunday, said those who plundered the public wealth would not be allowed to loot the country any more. He further claimed that the alliance of 11 opposition political parties had failed to draw a crowd in Gujranwala, adding that he can stage a bigger rally than the opposition’s rally all on his own. The opposition’s agenda is to protect its interests, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2020.