PESHAWAR: Former prime minister Imran Khan, during his speech at a PTI rally in Peshawar on Tuesday, said that his criticism of the army was “constructive and for its own improvement”.
“Those from the PML-N should get this straight that we are the people who would strengthen this country’s institutions,” he said. “And even if we do criticise our army, it is for their betterment. What we do is constructive criticism.”
Referring to his remarks at the Faisalabad rally on Sunday, the PTI chief said that he had called for the selection of the army chief to be based on merit.
“Any person who is a well-wisher of someone would always want selection on the basis of merit. This is the world’s principle […] what did I say wrong?
“And along with that, I had said that Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari should not select the country’s army chief,” he recalled, adding that an absconder and criminal should not be given the power to appoint the country’s army chief.
“They are just trying to stop Imran Khan from playing the match,” he said.
Imran went on to allege that the government was hatching “dangerous conspiracies” that included turning the institutions against the PTI only to “win the match”.
“They have a propaganda cell that only tries to turn whatever I say against the army or the judiciary.”
But, Imran said that people were now “politically aware”.
“Today, I want to tell you that until and unless our institutions are not strong, the country can not succeed,” the PTI chief said. “The nation has realised that they [the PDM] are trying to pit the PTI against the institutions.
