ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday congratulated Pakistan’s new top military leaders on assuming office and expressed hope they would end what he described as a “prevailing trust deficit” between the army and the public.
Khan was ousted from the office of prime minister in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April. He has since blamed his removal on a conspiracy hatched by the United States, the country’s military and his political opponents.
American and Pakistani officials deny the accusations but they have resonated in recent months with young, social-media-savvy Pakistanis and the older generation alike, who have come out in fierce criticism of what they deem entrenched corruption and the invisible hand of the army in the country’s political system.
The sharpest critique has been of outgoing army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who handed over charge to General Asim Munir on Tuesday. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza also became chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) last week.
“Congratulations to Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza as new CJCSC & Gen Syed Asim Munir as new COAS,” Khan said on Twitter, sharing the image of a famous quote by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, about the duties that the army owes to civilians.
“We hope new mly ldrship [military leadership] will work to end [the] prevailing trust deficit that has built up in [the] last 8 months between the nation and the State. [The] strength of the State is derived from its people.”
One of the key challenges faced by the country’s new army chief will be navigating a deepening political rift between the government and Khan, who is calling for immediate elections.