Army Chief appointment should not be turned ‘political debate’
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ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that appointment of Army Chief should not be turned into a political debate. “I can assure you that, at moment, there is no ongoing process regarding appointment of Army Chief,” Asif said in response to a question during a press conference.
Army Chief’s appointment is due in November this year, with Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar already clarifying that COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa will retire on November 29, 2022. He had spoken about Army Chief’s appointment while addressing a press conference on government’s action against social media propaganda launched following Balochistan helicopter crash in Lasbela. Furthermore, Khawaja Asif said that presence of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan in Swat cannot be ruled out.
Khawaja Asif alleged that a “negative” social media campaign targeting tragic incident of an Army helicopter crash amid flood relief operations in Balochistan earlier this month was a “joint project” of PTI and India against Pakistan Army.
After chopper crash in Lasbela, a section of social media activists and certain political zealots launched an abhorrent and unacceptable online campaign to advance their personal and political malice, which drew a strong reaction from people belonging to all walks of life, political leadership and state institutions.
Ruling coalition blames PTI’s social media team for launching smear campaign at behest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan. Addressing issue at a press conference here, Asif said 18 Indian accounts were found to be involved in social media campaign. “Their channels say, ‘work Imran Khan is doing for us, even if we had spent billions of dollars we would not have been able to create kind of network to safeguard and advance India’s interests in Pakistan as how PTI and its leader is doing,’”defence minister said.
Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 18 2022
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