Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Monday urged overseas Pakistanis not to support the 'vicious' conspiracy against the Pakistan Army and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir which he said was deserving of the strongest condemnation.
PM Shehbaz termed the "smear campaign" against the army chief a "continuation" of a conspiracy against the military, which he said was "unacceptable".
PTI's disgusting smear campaign against Chief of the Army Staff General Asim Munir at the behest of Imran Niazi is deserving of the strongest condemnation. 1/2
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) March 20, 2023
This man Niazi is stooping to unprecedented lows in his desperation for power & going to the extent of damaging the country & undermining our armed forces & their leadership. /2 https://t.co/Tt1SfhylXv
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) March 20, 2023
Accusing former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan of "damaging the country and undermining our armed forces and their leadership", PM Shehbaz stressed the need to reject his political rival's "agenda".
"Overseas patriotic Pakistanis should raise their voice against the foreign-funded campaign," the premier pleaded as he cautioned them against the "poisonous politics" in which they were being used as pawns.
Read 'Do not become part of London plan': Imran urges judiciary, establishment
He urged them "not be part of this conspiracy" whereby Imran, he claimed, "is dragging state institutions and their heads in his dirty politics and breaching the constitution".
The PM also directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to deal with the "miscreants running this vile campaign" in the country with an "iron fist".
"Strict legal action should be taken against those who instigate chaos, riots and rebellion in Pakistan," he stated adding that "to discredit the country's first army chief to be appointed on merit could only be the agenda of the enemies of the country".
"The nation stands by its institutions," he said, "united against evildoers."
Audio leak
In another tweet, PM Shehbaz condemned the "abusive language" used against PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz in an alleged audio leak attributed to former chief justice Saqib Nisar and PTI lawyer Khwaja Tariq Rahim.
سابق چیف جسٹس ثاقب نثار اور PTI وکیل خواجہ طارق رحیم کی آڈیو لیک میں بیٹی مریم نواز کے بارے میں گھٹیا گفتگو انتہائی قابل مذمت ہے۔خواتین کے بارے میں اس لب و لہجے اور گھٹیا سوچ کی معاشرے بالخصوص خواتین کو پر زور مذمت کرنی چاہیے۔ اجتماعی مذمت ہی معاشرے میں یہ منفی سوچ روک سکتی ہے
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) March 20, 2023
"Society, especially women, should strongly condemn this speech and abusive thinking about women", he said adding that "only collective condemnation can stop this negative thinking in the society".
Read More Caretaker CM Punjab gives 'free hand' to police if 'attacked' again
Earlier today, an audio clip made rounds on social media where Nisar and Tariq purportedly be heard exchanging harsh words against Maryam Nawaz.
The audio leaks of Khawaja Tariq and Saqib Nisar reflect their vile and depraved minds.
— Hadi Bhatti (@aaimanhadi) March 20, 2023
When these cowardly, irreverent men cannot resist a barehanded girl, they use words about her that reflect their low awful wisdom.#ArrestSaqibNisar#PakistanUnderFasicsm @MaryamNSharif pic.twitter.com/S672fmdfQB
In the clip, Tariq is alleged to have offered Nisar to "give the woman that speaks so much a befitting response" or "hit her somehow". To this, Nisar is alleged to have said that he had the "courage to bear it out, but when the need arises, I will ask you to do something explosive on the side".
While the authenticity of the audio clip could not be confirmed, earlier this month, Nisar had claimed that his WhatsApp account was hacked and said he suspected that his data was being misused to twist facts for political purposes.
COMMENTS (14)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ