PTI leaders disowning Imran's statements against institutions: Kh Asif.

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Wednesday said the leaders and close associates of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had disowned their Chairman Imran Khan's statements spewing hate against state institutions.

Addressing a joint presser with Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail, Khawaja Asif lambasted the former premier for justifying his spiteful remarks against the senior leadership of the armed forces as his discourse on meritocracy. Khawaja said Imran Khan had earlier commented on the appointment of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the next day he made a new interpretation of his previous narrative.

"He is doing it under a deliberate design to attack and assess reaction of the state institutions. First attack, make institutions controversial and weak and observe their reaction then after some calculation say I just intended to discuss meritocracy through critical arguments," the minister said.

He added that throughout his political career, all appointments were made on merit in the tri-services of the country 'accept one or two'. "The nominations of four or five high ranking officers are sent from the leadership of the armed forces that are appointed by the prime minister after necessary consultation," he mentioned.

He said the close associates of Imran Khan in his party were abstaining from commenting on his statements.

"They are avoiding from commenting on it, and a day earlier the President of Pakistan, who has been nominated by the PTI, disassociated himself from what Imran Khan had said," said the minister. "The current COAS was appointed by our previous government and he endorsed his appointment. In three years, he (Imran Khan) has applauded the current COAS," he pointed out. He alleged that Imran Khan as prime minister used to remain absent from many important meetings chaired by the COAS that were of critical nature.

Khawaja Asif added that Imran Khan had left many core issues of political and security nature on the COAS to handle. "After losing power, he was criticising the military leadership and deliberately creating doubts about...