ISLAMABAD
\nFederal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Wednesday that the process of appointing the new army chief would start by month-end.
\nAddressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said that five senior officers were shortlisted for the appointment of the new army chief, adding that the new army chief could be chosen from any of those officers.
\n\u201cAll names are sent by the General Headquarters (GHQ), and all these names are thoroughly reviewed,\u201d he added. \u201cA cipher is a state secret. Such confidential matters should not be made public. Imran Khan has also violated the Official Secrets Act,\u201d he stated.
\n\u201cThis person will surely be held accountable. He dares government to arrest him. He will come to his senses the day he goes to jail,\u201d he added. He also said that lust for power had turned Imran Khan mad, adding that Imran Khan\u2019s mental state was not stable.
\n\u201cImran Khan should be ashamed of himself after audio leaks that have exposed his narrative of foreign conspiracy,\u201d he stated. Khawaja Asif vowed to fight against anti-army campaign as defence minister. \u201cWe do not want any relief to Imran Khan. We will not seek political revenge, but this person is not a politician from any side. We are aware of the traditions of political workers,\u201d he pointed out.
\n\u201cWe will fight Imran Khan on social media, and we will take him to the courts too. I have not heard the audio leaks of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif myself. But there is no anti-state element in his talk. In the audio leaks of Imran Khan, there is a conspiracy against Pakistan,\u201d he stated.
\n\u201cIt can be inferred from Imran Khan\u2019s talk that the institutions have become neutral. Our institutions, army, judiciary, parliament and media are working according to the Constitution,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cSuch people had been imposed in the country in the past as well. Imran Khan constantly criticises the army chief. Pakistan Army has made countless sacrifices for the country. No other force has given as many sacrifices as the Pakistan Army. The army is still fighting against terrorism,\u201d he emphasised.
\n\u201cImran Khan is constantly trying to portray lies as truth. Imran Khan hurls abuses at his friends. Imran Khan himself scrapped the copy of the cipher,\u201d he deplored. \u201cPower comes and goes. Imran Khan tells lies in public meetings,\u201d he castigated and asked Imran Khan to tell one case of the leaders of the coalition government that had been forgiven.
\n\u201cInstitutions are working in the light of the Constitution which is not acceptable to Imran Khan. He is turning mad for November. The month of November will also pass peacefully,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Wednesday that the process of appointing the new army chief would start by month-end. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said that five senior officers were shortlisted for the appointment of the new army chief, adding that the new army chief could be chosen from any of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238153,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[38],"class_list":{"0":"post-287603","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-asif"},"yoast_head":"\n