Trump card has nothing to do with Army: PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that his much-discussed ‘trump card’ has nothing to do with the army. In a WhatsApp chat with The News on Friday, the prime minister instead stressed that “attacking the army and damaging it means damaging the future of Pak(istan).”

He categorically rejected the widespread speculation that his trump card relates to a possible decision concerning the institution of the Pakistan Army. “Nothing to do with the army,” he said and explained that what he is focusing on is a straightforward matter of national morality and ethics.

“It’s not about who forms the government,” he said, adding, “To destroy a country all that needs to be done is destroy its ethics.” The prime minister was apparently hinting at the way his party MPs changed their loyalties and how they were shown by the media in Sindh House, Islamabad.

Although the premier did not precisely reveal what his surprise or trump card would be, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry when contacted told The News, “It’s a pure political thing, and nothing administrative.” Referring to the speculation, Fawad Chaudhry said that the premier has the best of relationships with Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Chaudhry said that the prime minister is not a conspirator. He said that the questions currently being discussed in political and media circles about the prime minister contemplating certain key appointments is simply baseless.

These is all speculation, the information minister said. Instead, Fawad Chaudhry quoted Prime Minister Imran Khan as saying that the institution of the army is critically important for Pakistan and its sovereignty and therefore must be protected and not maligned.

Fawad Chaudhry said that in a recent discussion with his political team, the prime minister expressed his displeasure at the recent campaign launched against the institution and ordered action against those responsible. Chaudhry said that Imran Khan has told them that he and his party would never support any campaign against the institution.

The premier, according to Chaudhry, had also told them that if the institution of the army is weakened, Pakistan could not remain intact in its present shape.

There are also rumours making the rounds in the capital that the prime minister was about to make some key administrative changes but later decided against doing so. Some media commentators even went to the extent of speculating that Imran Khan could announce the administrative decision in his public meeting in the federal capital on March 27.

Fawad Chaudhry strongly rejected all these reports. He said that there are elements in politics and in the media who are involved in such rumour-mongering to create a rift between the prime minister, the army chief and the institution. “For the prime minister, the institution of the army is dearer to him than himself,” Chaudhry said.

PTI circles have recently been blamed for campaigning against the army's stance of neutrality on social media. The prime minister has shown his concern over this trend and ordered action against those running such campaigns. The premier was categorical in his view that the PTI could never be associated with any campaign against the institution.