ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party said on Tuesday former prime minister Imran Khan had launched his protest march to the federal capital last week to prevent the current administration from appointing the new army chief.
Pakistan’s current army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, will complete his tenure on November 28. He became the army chief in November 2016 and was given a three-year extension in 2019 when Khan was in power.
Addressing a news conference in London, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz Sharif said the former prime minister was not trying to achieve some vital national objective through his protest march.
“There is only one objective of this march which is to prevent the government from appointing the new army chief,” she said. “They want to interfere with the process.”
Khan, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was ousted in a no-trust vote in April. He has previously alleged that the current political administration of the country wants to appoint an army chief of its choice who will not question it over corruption.
The PTI chief has also maintained the incumbent government does not have the right to appoint the head of the most important institution in the country, adding it should hold fresh elections and let the new government make the appointment.
Khan has also criticized Pakistan’s the security establishment since his ouster for working with his political rivals.
“Almost every political party has criticized state institutions during the country’s political and democratic history,” the PML-N vice president said. “However, that criticism used to be different. It was issue-based and for course-correction. It was also carried out under the principles of democracy.”
She maintained Khan’s criticism was not grounded in democratic values, adding his only objective was to regain the establishment’s support and turn it into his “crutches.”
Ex-PM Khan’s protest march launched to keep government from appointing army chief — Maryam Sharif
https://arab.news/z2p7u
Ex-PM Khan’s protest march launched to keep government from appointing army chief — Maryam Sharif
- The ruling PML-N leader calls the PTI chief’s criticism of the establishment an attempt to regain support
- Sharif tells journalists in London criticism of state institutions should be based on democratic principles
Pakistan nears $1.5 billion deal to supply weapons, jets to Sudan
- Deal may include drones, air defense systems and Karakoram-8 aircraft, with possible JF-17 fighters
- The sale is expected to bolster Sudan’s army in the ongoing civil war with the Rapid Support Forces
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is in the final phases of striking a $1.5-billion deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan, a former top air force official and three sources said, promising a major boost for Sudan’s army, battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Their conflict has stoked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis for more than 2-1/2 years, drawing in myriad foreign interests, and threatening to fragment the strategic Red Sea country, a major gold producer.
The deal with Pakistan encompasses 10 Karakoram-8 light attack aircraft, more than 200 drones for scouting and kamikaze attacks, and advanced air defense systems, said two of the three sources with knowledge of the matter, who all sought anonymity.
It was a “done deal,” said Aamir Masood, a retired Pakistani air marshal who continues to be briefed on air force matters.
Besides the Karakoram-8 jets, it includes Super Mushshak training aircraft, and perhaps some coveted JF-17 fighters developed jointly with China and produced in Pakistan, he added, without giving figures or a delivery schedule.
Pakistan’s military and its defense ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesman for Sudan’s army did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.
Assistance from Pakistan, especially drones and jets, could help Sudan’s army regain the air supremacy it had toward the start of its war with the RSF, which has increasingly used drones to gain territory, eroding the army’s position.
PAKISTAN’S DEFENSE AMBITIONS
The deal is another feather in the cap for Pakistan’s growing defense sector, which has drawn growing interest and investment, particularly since its jets were deployed in a conflict with India last year.
Last month, Islamabad struck a weapons deal worth more than $4 billion with the Libyan National Army, officials said, for one of the South Asian nation’s largest arms sales, which includes JF-17 fighter jets and training aircraft.
Pakistan has also held talks with Bangladesh on a defense deal that could includes the Super Mushshak training jets and JF-17s, as ties improve ties with Dhaka.
The government sees Pakistan’s burgeoning industry as a catalyst to secure long-term economic stability.
Pakistan is now in a $7-billion IMF program, following a short-term deal to avert a sovereign default in 2023. It won IMF support after Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies provided financial and deposit rollovers.
