Military fully backs govt policies, says Imran Azfar-ul-AshfaqueUpdated 04 Sep 2020
Claims there’s no ‘mega’ corruption scandal during his two-year rule
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KARACHI: Describing his relationship with the army’s top brass as “most harmonious”, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday that the military fully supported his government’s policies whether relating to India or Afghanistan.
The prime minister’s assertion came in response to a question by Al Jazeera, which interviewed him via a remote video link upon completion of two years in office.
Mr Khan was visibly upset when the interviewer asked him as to why “senior military officers” were being given responsibilities of major government departments when he should have been putting more “civilian faces” for the country’s international image.
What international image,” Mr Khan snapped back. “This is a democratic government. We won an election ... we challenge anyone to question the election. We asked the opposition name us any constituencies which you think you didn’t get a fair result we are ready to open them up,” he said.
When asked to describe his relationship with the “army’s top brass”, he acknowledged that Pakistan had a chequered history as there had been an uneasy relationship between the successive civilian governments and the army.
“We have an excellent relationship [with the army’s top brass]. I honestly think it is the most harmonious relationship. We have complete coordination, we work together, the military completely stands by all the democratic government’s policies whether it is with India, whether it is for peaceful solution in Afghanistan...everywhere the military stands by us,” the prime minister said.
The prime minister claimed that there was no “mega” corruption scandal during his two-year rule. When he was reminded that Pakistan’s middle class that saw an alternative in him was massively affected by the current economic situation, Mr Khan said it took time and the struggle to change the direction of the country.
“Corruption is one of the biggest killers of society...today there’s no mega corruption scandal in Pakistan because at the top level we controlled it,” he claimed. “Problem is still we have corruption low down the level, which is again going to be a struggle, we need to take a lot of steps eventually to control corruption at all levels. Its struggle and it’s not going to happen quickly,” he added.
“And so reason why we have not been able to clamp down on corruption is because those who come into power and make money using the power to make money have never been held accountable. This is for the first time in our history that the powerful are being held accountable,” he continued.
The prime minister was asked about the situation of freedom of speech in Pakistan and the interviewer, while reminding him of his own words that “there is absolutely no way that the media freedom, or freedom of speech, would be curtailed under my watch”, pointed out: “It’s now being curtailed under your watch, Mr Prime Minister.”
“What is the evidence...can you just tell how we are curtailing the freedom of speech?” asked the prime minister upon which the interviewer quoted some of the rights organisations saying Pakistan has one of the worst records in enforced disappearances.
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