ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that criticizing the Pakistan army is unjustified and it will encourage those elements who are out to destabilize Pakistan.
His remarks came in clear support of the army against whom the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari gave a hard-hitting speech on Tuesday.
While speaking at a consultative meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday, the prime minister said that in the prevailing situation, criticizing the army is not justified as it is engaged in efforts to bring peace in the society.
The prime minister said that coordination and harmony between the army and political leadership has strengthened democracy in the country. He stressed the need for national consensus in the critical phase of the ongoing operation against terrorism.
Sharif said that the officers and soldiers of Pakistan army are playing vital role for the success of operation Zarb-e-Azb and implementation of the anti-terror national action plan and they enjoy complete support of the nation.
Earlier in the day, the prime minister also cancelled a scheduled meeting with the PPP Co-Chairman and the former president for his anti-military remarks.
While the Federal Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that the language used by PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari against the army does not befit a former president.
“Our valiant soldiers are fighting war of our existence,” he said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the former president lashed out against what he called the character assassination of his party and warned the military leadership that if they did not stop, he would expose the misdeeds of many generals. He said that army chiefs come and go every three years but the political leadership was here to stay.
“We know the country better and we know how to run its affairs,” Zardari stressed.
