Nawaz Sharif weakening Pakistan by criticizing army — PM Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan lashed out at his political rival Nawaz Sharif on Thursday, saying that his critical statements against the Pakistan Army were weakening the country.
Sharif, who dominated Pakistan’s politics for three decades, flew to the United Kingdom on an air ambulance for medical treatment in November 2019 after being released on bail from a seven-year prison sentence.
He was elected as the country’s prime minister three times and faces several corruption references, though he denies these charges as politically motivated.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader recently made public statements while addressing the opposition’s multiparty conference last month, saying that his struggle was not against the prime minister and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration but those who brought them into power.
He also made several references to the civil-military imbalance in Pakistan, claiming that the country’s security establishment manipulated democratic process by meddling in politics.
During an interview with a local news channel, Khan admitted that the country had witnessed martial laws in the past. However, he added that the institution of army should not be punished for the deeds of a few dictators.
“He [Nawaz Sharif] is playing a very dangerous game against Pakistan,” said the prime minister. “This is the same game that Altaf Hussain also played. I am telling you with 100 percent certainty that India is fully supporting him [Sharif]. Whose interest is it that we should have a weak army? Only our enemies’.”
Khan said that some “foolish liberals” seemed to be in agreement with the PML-N leader, adding that they should realize the military’s significance for Pakistan’s territorial integrity.
“Start with Libya, go to Syria, and take a look at Iraq,” he said. “See what has happened to these countries ... The entire Muslim world has gone up in flames. How have we survived? If there were no army, I can give this to you in writing that this country would have ended up in three pieces by now. Indian think tanks say it explicitly that they want to break up Pakistan. The only reason why we are safe is because of the army.”
He said that Sharif was not a democrat, adding that the PML-N leader was supported by the military at the beginning of his career and was now pretending to be a “super democrat.”