Ex-PM Khan’s protest march launched to keep government from appointing army chief — Maryam Sharif

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party leader Maryam Nawaz speaks during a press conference in Lahore on Nov. 1, 2022. (Photo courtesy: Screengrab from social media video)

• The ruling PML-N leader calls the PTI chief’s criticism of the establishment an attempt to regain support
• Sharif tells journalists in London criticism of state institutions should be based on democratic principles

ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party said on Tuesday former prime minister Imran Khan had launched his protest march to the federal capital last week to prevent the current administration from appointing the new army chief.
Pakistan’s current army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, will complete his tenure on November 28. He became the army chief in November 2016 and was given a three-year extension in 2019 when Khan was in power.
Addressing a news conference in London, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz Sharif said the former prime minister was not trying to achieve some vital national objective through his protest march.
“There is only one objective of this march which is to prevent the government from appointing the new army chief,” she said. “They want to interfere with the process.”
Khan, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was ousted in a no-trust vote in April. He has previously alleged that the current political administration of the country wants to appoint an army chief of its choice who will not question it over corruption.
The PTI chief has also maintained the incumbent government does not have the right to appoint the head of the most important institution in the country, adding it should hold fresh elections and let the new government make the appointment.
Khan has also criticized Pakistan’s the security establishment since his ouster for working with his political rivals.
“Almost every political party has criticized state institutions during the country’s political and democratic history,” the PML-N vice president said. “However, that criticism used to be different. It was issue-based and for course-correction. It was also carried out under the principles of democracy.”
She maintained Khan’s criticism was not grounded in democratic values, adding his only objective was to regain the establishment’s support and turn it into his “crutches.”