PTI felicitates Lt Gen Asim, Lt Gen Sahir

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Thursday congratulated General Sahir Shamshad Mirza on his appointment as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and General Syed Asim Munir as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

The party issued a formal statement on the appointment to top posts in the Pakistan armed forces and hoped the new army leadership would play its role in restoration of constitutional rights and strengthening of democracy in the country.

The statement issued by the party’s Central Media Department here said the statement regarding the Chief of Army Staff had come to the light and the PTI believes it is ready to take measures in the best interest of the nation’s security and stability of the state institutions.

“We hope that the new leadership of the armed forces will play its role so constitutional rights and democracy in the country are strengthened and people’s rights to elect a new leadership through fresh elections would be recognised,” the party said.

The PTI said the people of Pakistan expected that their armed forces, while dealing with any array of external threats, would stay out of politics of domestic affairs and that the rights of political parties would not be infringed.

“Free, fair and transparent early elections are the only solution to the prevailing crisis in the country and we believe that all individuals as well as institutions who feel the pain of the nation, must play their role in ensuring this democratic future,” it said.

The events of the last eight months have clearly created a deep divide in the country, it noted and said the steps taken in these eight months severely damaged the country and institutions, and Pakistan witnessed the worst human rights violations.

“Human rights in Pakistan have been grossly violated, journalists and media continue to be subjected to torture and harassment; and Arshad Sharif, one of the leading journalists in the country, had been assassinated. The imported government and the state were in pursuit of pushing the leader of the largest political party against the wall. Their attempts had plunged Pakistan into the worst form of political instability that has essentially sent the economy into a tailspin,” the PTI added.

Commenting on the development, PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry said the president’s decision is in line with the PTI chief’s suggestion and was taken after Khan backed it.

“The measures taken in these last eight months have damaged the country as attempts to sideline Khan wreaked havoc in the country,” he said, hoping that the new military leadership would play a positive role in the country.

The former information minister, while congratulating the newly-appointed COAS and CJCSC, reiterated that the only solution to bring political stability to the country was snap polls.