Appointment of COAS should not be a part of public discourse at a time when Pak is fighting a low intensity war against terrorism: Khawaja Asif
ISLAMABAD, Oct 14 (SABAH): Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif says next General Election will be held as per schedule in the light of the Constitution.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif said this while addressing a joint news conference in Islamabad on Friday, alongside Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhry, Minister of State for Petroleum Senator Dr. Musadik Masood Malik and Special Assistants to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi and Attaullah Tarar Advocate.
Khawaja Asif said general elections cannot be held under anyone’s pressure and decision regarding elections will be taken by Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in consultation with coalition partners.
The Defence Minister added that PTI has been ruling in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for 13 years and it has done nothing for the public welfare except institutionalizing corruption in the province. He said Imran Khan pursues politics of vendetta while PML-N leaders got relief from courts on merit.
Replying to a question, Khawaja Asif further said appointment of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) should not be a part of public discourse at a time when Pakistan is fighting a low intensity war against terrorism.
At the outset of the media talk, Khawaja Asif said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s interaction with world leaders in recent months has nullified the impression of the country created during the PTI rule.
“Our damaged ties have been repaired. Gulf and Central Asian countries, the Russian Federation, US, UK […] our PM met with everyone. He held successive tours of different countries.”
Addressing questions raised on the acquittals of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, PM Shehbaz and former Punjab chief minister Hamza Shahbaz Sharif by PTI Chief Imran Khan, the minister said that in the last few years, the party had proved with its actions and stance that it did not want to violate the judicial system.
“From Nawaz appearing before JIT (joint investigation team) to PM Shehbaz turning up at courts, this all happened and the courts delivered verdicts that served justice.
“It’s not like offices of accountability offices were closed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or the billion tree tsunami case was neglected. We went through all the processes, we were jailed, and then got bail,” Asif said.
He went on to say that in all these years, the PML-N had protected its prestige and the judicial system. Referring to Imran Khan, the minister said that the PTI chairman was suffering. “And when his people are caught, he gives statements that cannot be aired on media. Hence criticising this process is of no use.”
Khawaja Asif highlighted that it was being claimed that the court’s decisions and verdicts were passed after “phone calls”. “It was said by a popular PPP leader […] I am not sure if he still is one or not […] so I will call him a law expert because he was my teacher.
“He was the first man who freed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He got elected in a rigged election during Ziaul Haq’s time. And ever since, he has started to turn up as a traitor,” the minister said, referring to the recent statements passed by PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan.
He reiterated that the PML-N has “repeatedly demonstrated respect”. “Nawaz appeared 200 times in courts and the same number of times Maryam appeared in courts.
“I hope everyone in offices continue to demonstrate similar respect. We emerged victorious. This is personal frustration if someone is claiming that xyz made a telephone call to get verdicts of desire,” Khawaja Asif added.
In response to a question on whether Ahsan would be charged under Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution, the minister said: “A man whose political value isn’t even equal to a cent […] there is no good in making him politically relevant by force.”
The PPP leader’s purpose, Asif claimed, was to seek attention. “This is his status and this is his credibility.” However, the minister added that the government will “definitely” retaliate and take action against him under the law and the Constitution.
The minister also said that he was quite aware of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s opinion about Aitzaz Ahsan.
Firing broadsides at Imran Khan, the minister said that the PTI chief was an arrogant man and had reached all lengths of incompetence.
“All this time, Imran said that he and General Qamar Javed Bajwa are on the same page. But look at him now. This man is not even respecting his own party leaders […] have some shame.”
On the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal added that Sindh and Balochistan are witnessing worst devastation due to recent floods and organizing general elections in next eight months seems impossible. He further said efforts are being made to complete the rehabilitation process by April next year.
Ahsan Iqbal said final results of the new census will likely to come in March next year after which four months are required for delimitation of constituencies as per the Constitution. He said the current Assembly is going to complete its tenure in August next year after which general elections will be held.
Ahsan Iqbal said that objective of the campaign being run by Imran Khan is not to have elections in the country but to create chaos and uncertainty.
Meanwhile Defence Minister Khawaja Asif remained tight-lipped on Friday on the possibility of a military operation in Swat, but said the government was taking steps to control the return of militancy in the mountainous district. The minister cautioned against a situation similar to that of 2009 and 2010 re-emerging in Swat and northern areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
However, he said the people standing up against incidents of terrorism was an encouraging sign. “The people have themselves now stood up against the whole situation,” he said.
Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad on Friday, the defence minister also spoke about the importance of the role media can play in such a situation.
“We have the problem of terrorism for decades. Even they [terrorists] use media in some form or the other now to propagate their beliefs. They very effectively use media for recruitment, for letting the public know why they are resorting to the means that are very extreme…unbelievably extreme,” he said.
“I personally feel the media has to play a very important role… what is happening in our country since the last decade or so, or even more. The media has grown exponentially in Pakistan,” he said.
The minister added that, “Political workers like me… or my community of political workers who are in politics 24/7, 365 days, we feel the presence of media in our lives. We feel the presence of media day in and day out.”
Asif furthered that it was impossible to stay in politics without recognizing or acknowledging the media’s strong presence, and its usage or misuse nowadays by politicians.
“This is also something that must be understood. Social media is playing havoc with politics, economics, wars, strategies… with fake news,” the minister stated.
“I personally feel that the place of the media is absolutely fundamental. Perhaps in today’s world it has become the most important element of national life, for us as well as for the rest of the world,” added the minister.
The defence minister added that the media takes up matters right from the start, and influences public opinion by what it reports.
“Any formulation of political opinion or support of a certain cause, basically, the media plays a fundamental role in that,” Asif said.
The minister added that the survival of any cause, whether good or bad, depends upon how it is dealt with by the media.
The minister cited the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as an example. The defence minister said that the war was being fought on a very limited geographical scale, but its portrayal in the media is what ultimately mattered.
Khawaja Asif said media has an imperative role in creating awareness on the issue of climate change. He said electronic and social media has exponential grown in last decade. The Minster said place of the media has become absolutely fundamental in our societies. He said media plays also fundamental role in opinion building. He said survival of any cause depends upon how it was dealt by the media.