Forces that brought Imran Khan to power are uneasy: Pak Opposition on ISI appointment row

Slamming Pakistan’s ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), opposition leader Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah on Tuesday, October 26, asserted that the political parties in the state shall refrain from commenting on the appointment of the ISI chief as it is the responsibility of the Pakistani army and should not be influenced by the political spectrum. His remarks come as Pakistan has been in limbo for the past few days over the selection of a new ISI chief.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party, Pakistan Peoples Party’s leader Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah alleged that appointing the director-general of the country's Inter-Services Intelligence is the prerogative of the Pakistani army and that political parties should refrain from commenting on it.

This comes at a time when Pakistan has been in a turmoil over the selection of the new ISI Director-General. Shah made these remarks after being released from a two-year imprisonment in a case involving assets beyond means, news agency ANI reported citing the Dawn newspaper.

‘Forces that brought Imran Khan to power are uneasy’

According to ANI report citing Dawn, Shah claimed that the "forces that brought Imran Khan and his party to power were now feeling uneasy" due to hesitation over national institution selections. The "differences" between the political and military leadership over the selection of the Director-General of the ISI have been portrayed as "technical difficulties", by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in recent weeks.

According to Shah, the matter of the National Accountability Bureau chairman's appointment should be settled by the Constitution and legal procedure, and should not be viewed from a political lens. He said that there should be no interference or influence of political parties in the selection of top national bureau's chief. In a press conference, he cautioned, "Otherwise, another adverse situation may occur."

Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf  government was criticized by Shah for disturbing national institutions, allowing hostile external forces and anti-state elements within the country to take advantage of the situation. 

According to Geo News, as reported by ANI, Imran Khan stated during a meeting of the PTI Parliamentary Committee that the concerns regarding ISI would be resolved soon. During the meeting, Pakistan's Prime Minister reassured the members of the PTI government's regime.

With ANI Inputs

Image: AP/ Twitter