PM Shehbaz will not select the army chief while consulting Imran Khan or anyone else: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

JHELUM, Nov 22, (SABAH): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will not select the army chief while consulting Imran Khan or anyone else. He said that Imran Khan wanted to make the institution and post of army chief controversial. He said that if today chief of our armed forces becomes controversial and his selection becomes controversial, it will only benefit the enemies of Pakistan, adding that Pakistani masses will not accept this thing. 

Addressing the participants of the PML-N workers’ convention, the former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the PM would select the Army Chief – from the summary – as the right of appointing the Army Chief belongs merely to the Prime Minister. He said that all the names present in the summary will be capable of becoming the army chief. He added that if the selection of the Army Chief will be made controversial, then the enemies will take advantage – of this.

Lashing out at PTI Chief Imran Khan over the appointment of the COAS, Abbasi said that he [Imran] wants to influence the matter of appointment of army chief through threats of staging sit-in, adding that whatever Imran talked about – starting from the US conspiracy and so on – was merely based on lies. He further lashed out at the former premier [Imran Khan], saying that Imran did nothing – with the exception of hurling abuses on his opponents.

Defining – one of the features of – leader, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the real leader is the person who saves the country from anarchy and not hurl abuse on others. Today, there is a dire need – in the country – to live with solidarity and unity as ‘the home’ where there exist quarrels that could not last – for a longer period of time.

Claiming that the PML-N is the only party in the country, which could improve the country’s situation, the former prime minister added that – the matter – is just not limited to politics or getting seats. In fact, it is important to determine in which direction the country is going on.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the PML-N will win the next elections with heavy majority, adding that only Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif could resolve the problems facing by Pakistan.