PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday hit back at PTI Chairman Imran Khan over his suggestion to defer the appointment of new army chief, saying its prime minister’s prerogative to call the shot in this regard.
“Earlier, he [Imran Khan] would talk about removing the army chief but now he is asking for extension. Parliament will decide about this matter,” he said while addressing the party workers in Peshawar.
He was responding to Imran’s proposal to defer the appointment of new army chief till after the next general elections.
The deposed premier’s suggestion effectively means granting another extension to the incumbent COAS, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, albeit for a short period.
“Only those countries prosper that pursue merit,” the PTI chairman said in an interview with a private TV channel earlier this week.
“A cricket team whose selection is done on merit can only excel. If any institution is to succeed, meritocracy is paramount,” he added.
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Calling Imran fitna [mischief], the JUI-F chief in today’s address said they “have crushed the head of fitna and they will not let him regain power”.
Fazl, who also heads Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), said it was easy to talk about “ideal situation” while in opposition.
“Have we forgotten their stupidity and incompetence that they showed when they were in government?”
Fazl alleged that PTI-led government was a slave of foreign powers and “it received funds from Israel, India and America”.
