ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rasheed has said that the government does not want any rift among state institutions or political parties as the country requires unity to tackle the challenges effectively.
In an interview, the minister said that one should utter anything very carefully when valiant armed forces are busy
in fighting a war for the future generations of Pakistan.
The information minister said that if political parties had any grievance they should discuss it on a proper forum instead of media. He further said that all the political parties were taken on-board before starting operation in Karachi.
The relations between mainstream political parties in Sindh and the security institutions began turning tense when Rangers apprehended some criminals linked with political parties as part of the ongoing operation in Karachi.
But situation became even further stressed when on Tuesday Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari lashed out at the military establishment with a warning that if his party is targeted, security officials must be prepared to receive revenge.
His remarks triggered condemnations from other political parties including the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif discouraged criticism on the Pakistan army and termed it unjustified while Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan termed Zardari’s remarks as humiliating and without provocation.
However, the PPP now clarifies that the former president’s remarks were meant for former military dictators and he full heartedly respects incumbent Army Chief General Raheel Sharif.
The former president on Friday evening also hosted an Iftar-dinner in Islamabad at which representatives of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-N), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), Awami National Party (ANP) and Balochistan National Party-Awami (BNP-A) arrived. However, the PML-N, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) did not attend in the dinner.
