PTI leader and former Health Minister of Punjab, Yasmin Rashid recently named the sector commander and alleged him of having been involved in politics to engineer the by-elections in the province…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has issued fresh directions to all his commanders and key officers, including those associated with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to stay away from politics and avoid interacting with politicians.
These directions have been given in the wake of Imran Khan-led PTI propaganda against the military establishment alleging certain ISI officials of having been involved in political engineering to manipulate the upcoming by-elections in Punjab to the disadvantage of PTI, The News reported.
Defence sources lament over these allegations and disclosed that the ISI sector commander, Lahore, who is being maligned by the PTI leaders, is not even in Lahore for over a fortnight in connection with some of his professional work in Islamabad.
PTI leader and former Health Minister of Punjab, Yasmin Rashid recently named the sector commander and alleged him of having been involved in politics to engineer the by-elections in the province.
Before Rashid, it was former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi who had alleged that some invisible forces are active to influence the by-elections in the province against the PTI, The News reported.
Of late, the PTI Chairman Imran Khan also alleged that some of his candidates have complained to him of receiving telephone calls from unknown numbers.
He also said that his party leaders and workers were being pressurised to engineer the by-elections.
Defence sources insist that the PTI, instead of maligning the security establishment, should share the evidence. These sources claimed that even if an iota of evidence is provided, strict action would be initiated against responsible.
Recently, the split in an apparently cohesive Pakistani Army got wider as Lt. General (retired) Zaheerul Islam, the former chief of Pakistan’s notorious spy agency, the Inter-State Intelligence (ISI), has come out openly in support of the ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan.
There are strong “rumours” that Imran Khan has selected the former ISI boss as a PTI candidate for the next general elections. The PTI leaders have been denying the speculation, but Islam was seen campaigning for a PTI candidate in a by-election in Rawalpindi for the Pakistani National Assembly.
“The Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan is the need of the hour,” Islam said, praising Imran Khan during campaigns.
Like former ISI chief Lt. General Faiz Hameed, his predecessor Islam too was attached with Imran Khan to help him to come to power.
In a video clip Zaheerul Islam is seen mocking the Pakistani Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s “neutrality”.
“In politics we have to take sides. But I am “neutral” and as a neutral I say that Imran Khan is the need of the hour.” (with inputs from IANS, IndiaNarrative)