Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, recently talked with journalists saying that she has a message for the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir from Imran Khan.
“The two parties (PPP and PML-N) have completely lost in every aspect; therefore, they want to bring the people of Pakistan up against the army,” said Aleema, delivering Khan’s message to the Chief of Army.
According to Aleema, Khan stated, “Army is the backbone of our country and we must honor our army because it protects our country.”
She said that Khan condemned the lack of rule of law in the country and the degradation of democracy, blaming it for causing “brain drain and loss of confidence in businesses in Pakistan.”
She finally stated that Khan had asked General Asim Munir to stay “neutral” for the sake of the country.
Central Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has demanded that bureaucrats and the Army Chief give up their extra privileges as the country grapples with exorbitant taxes.
Addressing a media group dinner in Lahore, Hafiz Naeem said that the country is facing a severe and immediate “brain drain.” The Army Chief should announce the withdrawal of extra privileges, and the country’s bureaucracy should also withdraw their privileges.
He lamented the country’s socioeconomic problems, saying, “People are leaving Pakistan, and the education system is getting worse.”
Furthermore, he stated, “Installing solar panels is not the solution to the problem because electricity tariffs should be reduced.”
Bolivia’s army chief was arrested on Wednesday after sending soldiers and tanks to take up position in front of government buildings in what President Luis Arce called an attempted coup.
The troops and tanks entered Plaza Murillo, a historic square where the presidency and Congress are situated, in the afternoon, prompting global condemnation of an attack on democracy.
One of the tanks tried to break down a metal door of the presidential palace.
Surrounded by soldiers and eight tanks, the now-dismissed army chief General Juan Jose Zuniga said the “armed forces intend to restructure democracy, to make it a true democracy and not one run by the same few people for 30, 40 years”.
AFP reporters soon saw soldiers and tanks pulling back from the square. The uprising lasted about five hours.
Later Wednesday, Zuniga was captured and forced into a police car as he addressed reporters outside a military barracks, footage on state television showed.
“General, you are under arrest,” Deputy Interior Minister Jhonny Aguilera told Zuniga.
“No one can take away the democracy we have won,” Arce said from a balcony of the government palace in front of hundreds of supporters.
Military troops are deployed at the Plaza de Armas in La Paz on June 26, 2024. — AFP
Earlier he had urged “the Bolivian people to organise and mobilise against the coup d’etat in favour of democracy”, in a televised message to the country alongside his ministers inside the presidential palace.
He also swore in new military leaders, firing Zuniga.
Right before he was arrested, Zuniga told reporters that the president had told him to stage an uprising, thus triggering a crackdown that would make him look strong and boost his sagging approval rating.
At a meeting Sunday, the general said, Zuniga asked Arce “So we bring out armored vehicles?” He said the president answered, “Bring them out.”
Arce’s instructions were to “stage something to raise his popularity”, the general said.
Former president Evo Morales wrote on X that “a coup d’etat is brewing” and also urged a “national mobilisation to defend democracy”.
Zuniga’s anti-democratic remarks
Bolivia is deeply polarised after years of political instability and the ruling Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) is riven by internal conflict between supporters of Arce and his former mentor Morales.
A supporter of Bolivian President Luis Arce fires a bengal outside Quemado Palace at Plaza Murillo in La Paz on June 26. — AFP
Morales, who was Bolivia’s first Indigenous president, was extremely popular until he tried to bypass the constitution and seek a fourth term in office in 2019.
The leftist and former coca union leader won that vote but was forced to resign amid deadly protests over alleged election fraud, and fled the country. He returned after Arce won the presidency in October 2020.
Since then a power struggle has grown between the two men, and Morales has increasingly criticised the government and accused it of corruption, tolerating drug trafficking, and sidelining him politically.
Six months ago, the Constitutional Court disqualified Morales from the 2025 elections, however, he is still seeking nomination as the MAS candidate. Arce has not said whether he will seek re-election.
Zuniga appeared on television on Monday and said he would arrest Morales if he insisted on running for office again in 2025. “Legally he is disqualified, that man cannot be president of this country again,” he said.
Since that interview, rumours have swirled that Zuniga was on the verge of being dismissed.
Calls for calm
In this handout picture released by Bolivian Presidency, Bolivian President Luis Arce (2nd R) attends a military event next to Gen. Juan Jose Zuniga (R) in La Paz on April 18, 2024. — AFP
The US administration of Joe Biden said it was keeping a close eye on events in Bolivia and “calls for calm”, according to a spokesperson for the National Security Council.
Condemnations of the troop movements also poured in from across Latin America, with leaders of Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela calling for democracy to be respected.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on X: “I am a lover of democracy and I want it to prevail throughout Latin America. We condemn any form of coup d’etat in Bolivia.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday called for “respect for democracy and the rule of law,” in a message on X.
The Organisation of American States (OAS) said the international community would “not tolerate any form of breach of the legitimate constitutional order in Bolivia”.
Following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) expressing willingness to indulge in dialogue, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur, after meeting incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan at Adiala jail, said on Monday during his media talk that he wanted to meet Army Chief Gen Asim Munir and Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Nadeem Anjum.
CM Gandapur told journalists that Imran Khan hadn’t ever refused talks with other stakeholders, regretting that no one responded to Khan’s call for dialogues, confirming that the talks with the establishment or political parties have not yet started.
He also stated that terms and conditions will not be changed for talks, adding that his party demanded recovery of its stolen mandate and a commission to investigate May 9 riots.
“I want to meet the army chief and the DG ISI,” he said, clarifying that he met top military leadership on multiple occasions but those meetings were not one-on-one.
The Chief Minister also criticized the newly launched Azm–e–Istehkam operation, confirming that the last apex committee meeting did not discuss military action.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan said on Friday that he will write a letter to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir not for his personal benefits but for the sake of the country.
Talking to journalists at Adiala jail during the hearing of the £190 million case, Imran praised Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, calling him a courageous person.
Khan also questioned why the petitions of PTI workers regarding May 9 are not being heard.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan said in a post on X that “My abduction on the morning of May 9 was part of the London plan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir should apologise to me.”
Imran Khan further said in the same post that “DG ISPR and the army chief are making political statements in a threating tone, which is affecting the army’s image.”
“When political statements and press conferences are made, political parties have the right to respond,” he added.
The former Prime Minister also said that he will write a letter to COAS General Asim Munir about the economic and political situation of the money-strained country, Geo News has reported.
While talking to journalists in Adiala jail on Monday, the former Premier said, “I will write a letter to the army chief on the [prevailing] situation in the country.”
The remarks came about a few days after he assigned an “important responsibility” to former president Arif Alvi, who is continuously trying for better relations between PTI and the establishment.
PTI founder assigned the responsibility of talks with the establishment to Alvi after declining the military’s demand to apologise for the May 9 violent protests.
On a question regarding the £190 million settlement case, the PTI founder said that Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) had confiscated money, finding it “suspicious transactions” but not “money laundering.”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Shehryar Afridi claimed on Friday that his party will soon hold dialogue with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) instead of talking to individuals who he believes were rejected and reached parliament through Form 47.
Afridi gave his statement during an interview with the Geo News show Naya Pakistan when he was asked for his opinion on how to achieve political stability in the country. The PTI stalwart criticized the PML-N led government, claiming that they are a group of “rejected people” who are being “controlled remotely” and got into parliament through “Form 47”. He also accused the ruling parties of being “backed by the establishment”. Responding to calls for reconciliation, he said that there was no benefit for the former ruling party to hold dialogues with the “people rejected by the nation”.
“My leader doesn’t want any NRO. We want dialogue for the betterment of Pakistan,” Afridi said, adding that PTI founder Imran Khan wants to engage all stakeholders for a better country.
Former army chief General (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa can surprise founder and former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, as he is “willing to appear” as a witness in the cipher case, The News has reported.
During the last hearing in cipher case, Imran Khan said while speaking to journalists, “I will include General Bajwa and US Embassy officials as witnesses in the case.”
A source from The News confirmed that the former army chief also showed willingness to appear as a witness. However, he will require permission from military authorities.
The former prime minister is currently in Adiala jail and facing charges under the Official Secrets Act, 1923. A special court is hearing the cipher case against Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Imran had alleged that “General Bajwa did everything on Donald Lu’s directives”.
This accusation does not match the statements given by witnesses, including the former secretary of foreign affairs and Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US. Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US was in contact with Donald Lu, and their communication’s result was a cable that was sent to the foreign ministry, which is a normal thing.
Imran Khan had also claimed that the cipher was a conspiracy against him to remove him from the office.
The National Security Committee (NSC) deliberated over the cipher twice, once when Imran Khan was the prime minister of Pakistan and later in the tenure of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif.
The NSC found no evidence of conspiracy on both occasions against Imran Khan in the cipher.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir said on Thursday that the presence of illegal foreigners in the country is “seriously affecting” its security and economy, adding that the decision to send illegal foreigners to their home country is beneficial for Pakistan.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief passed the remarks during a visit to Peshawar, where he briefly explained the security situation, ongoing counter-terrorism operations, and the return of undocumented foreign nationals.
“Decision to repatriate them has been taken by the government in the interest of Pakistan,” General Asim said, as quoted by the military’s media wing.
The army chief also mentioned that all the illegal immigrants are being sent to their home country in a “humane and dignified manner.”
According to the Interior Ministry, almost 255,029 illegal foreigners have left for Afghanistan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
On his visit to Peshawar, Gen. Munir interacted with soldiers and officers, and he said while addressing them that “The nation takes pride and acknowledges the accomplishments of its Armed Forces. Pakistan is destined to succeed and the Pakistan Army will continue to undertake its selfless and sacred duty of safeguarding every inch of the motherland till the last drop of blood, InshaAllah.”
The Pakistan Army is set to start agriculture farming on 41,000 acres of land in South Waziristan’s Zarmalam area.
Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sardar Hasan Azhar Hayat has said that the army was determined to increase agricultural farming in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as per Geo News.
Lt Gen Hayat said the army has prepared a farming plan on 41,000 acres of land that had been barren for years.
The officer was of the view that there is a vast opportunity for investment in minerals, hydropower, agriculture, and tourism in KP that can help boost the province’s resources.
The three-star officer said the army has worked together with the civil government to bring investment in minerals, agriculture, hydropower, and tourism to the province, which is yielding positive results.
The Pakistan Army’s decision has sparked mixed reactions among locals and experts, with some expressing concerns over the potential implications for the region.
The move, which involves the cultivation of 41,000 acres of land, has raised questions about the long-term impact on the area’s ecosystem and implications for local communities.
Critics argue that the project’s scale could lead to significant land and water resource depletion, impacting the livelihoods of communities dependent on the land.
Additionally, there have been concerns about the army’s increasing involvement in civilian sectors, with some experts cautioning against potential overreach and the need to ensure civilian oversight in such initiatives.
On October 1st this year, The Pakistan Army launched the first agriculture project under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to make barren lands cultivable in South Waziristan.
The pilot project launched in the Zarmalam district of South Waziristan oversaw 1,000 acres of barren land made suitable for cultivation.
The Pakistan Army’s decision has sparked mixed reactions among locals and experts, with some expressing concerns over the potential implications for the region.
The move, which involves the cultivation of 41,000 acres of land, has raised questions about the long-term impact on the area’s ecosystem and the implications for local communities.
Critics argue that the project’s scale could lead to significant land and water resource depletion, impacting the livelihoods of communities dependent on the land.
Additionally, there have been concerns about the army’s increasing involvement in civilian sectors, with some experts cautioning against potential overreach and the need to ensure civilian oversight in such initiatives.
