ISLAMABAD: Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa directed army commanders and key officers, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials, to stay away from politics. He has also directed the army officers to avoid any kind of interaction with politicians.
Army Chief has issued this fresh order in the wake of Imran Khan-led PTI propaganda against the military establishment in which he alleged that some ISI officials were involved in political engineering to manipulate the upcoming by-elections in Punjab to benefit rival parties of PTI.
It may be noted here that the PTI leader and ex-health minister of Punjab Dr Yasmin Rashid has named the sector commander and alleged him of having been involved in politics to engineering the by-elections in Punjab, Geo News reported today.
Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has also alleged that some invisible forces were active to influence the by-elections in the province against PTI.
Meanwhile, PTI chairman Imran Khan also alleged that some of his candidates for byelections in Punjab have complained to him of receiving telephone calls from unknown numbers. Khan said his party leaders and workers were being pressurised to rid the by-elections.
The incumbent ISI chief Lt-General Nadeem Anjum had already made it clear to all officials of the ISI that interference in political matters would not be tolerated.
