Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday said that the country could not afford a weak army after witnessing the plight of countries that failed to build a strong army.
“Increasing distances between the army and the nation would be a loss for both Pakistan and its armed force,” he said while addressing a seminar in Islamabad, and added that a strong army was necessary for the country. He expressed concerns over negative trends on social media and said that the whole world was planning to control social media. The PTI chief questioned the characters that played their role in letting the alleged US conspiracy against his elected government be successful. He said the president sent the cipher to the chief justice but deliberate attempts were made to wrap up the issue and it was told that such ciphers were a routine thing.
Imran said the entire nation was looking toward the “powerful” establishment. He continued that constructive criticism was necessary to improve governance issues, which would also benefit the establishment. “Journalists should be allowed [to do] constructive criticism; otherwise we would never be able to differentiate between right and wrong.” He also distanced himself from restraints put on media freedom during his government, saying that no journalist was picked up by the authorities on his directives.
Imran was of the view that fair and free elections were the only solution left to stabilise the country. He termed “U-turns” crucial for political leaders and generals, and said that when mistakes happen, one should take a step back to reconsider.
