Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the PML-N government will not be blackmailed by the PTI if the Imran Khan-led party comes to the federal capital.
“Imran Khan wants to blackmail the government with his protest sit-in and the long march into Islamabad,” he said, speaking during Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada kay Sath” on Tuesday.
“However, the government will not be blackmailed.”
No negotiations are being held between Imran Khan and the establishment as there is no room for compromise, the minister said. Imran Khan talked about the “negotiation thing” to offer his aides some hope, he claimed.
A couple of meetings took place thanks to Imran’s old acquaintance, he said, adding no meeting is apolitical as all meetings are political in nature.
According to the defence minister, the selection process for the new army chief will likely begin within the next five to seven days. The minister said five names will be forwarded and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will pick one of those names.
No decision has been reached so far about the appointment of the upcoming army chief, he said, adding the next army chief will not be controversial. The PTI chief, he said, would attempt to create controversy over the upcoming appointment.
PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif does not need Imran Khan’s permission for the homecoming as the former prime minister can return to Pakistan whenever he wishes so, Khawaja Asif said.
