President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday distanced himself from the remarks by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief and deposed prime minister Imran Khan concerning the army chief and said that he should “clarify the comments himself”.
Speaking to journalists at the Governor House in Peshawar the president said that he “did not want to cause any confusion” as he urged Imran to offer an explanation for his statements.
Addressing a public rally at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad Sunday, the former prime minister alleged that Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari wanted to appoint the army chief of their choice because if a “strong and patriotic army chief” came, they would be questioned about their loot.
Elaborating on his stance, President Alvi said “the entire military is patriotic including the army chief whose loyalty is beyond doubt”. At the same time, he said that “the one who makes the comments should be the one to explain himself”. “I am not working towards building a national government, rather I hope to bring everyone to the same table,” he continued. “I meet the prime minister regularly. If we are not in communication then there is no distance either,” he added.
