——- Defence Minister notes when uncertainty prevails, new political factions, press conferences, televised outcries begin
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has responded to rumors of the civilian government’s demise, stating that successive non-democratic and incident-prone regimes throughout the nation’s history have given rise to a lineage always prepared for calamitous events.
In a statement on the social media platform X, Asif remarked that nowadays numerous press conferences and TV shows are underway, with the beloved country’s politics giving rise to countless incidents over the past 75 years.
He expressed that such incidents lead to the establishment of non-democratic setups that are not products of elections and, at times, are extended for indefinite periods.
The minister also indicated that these incident-prone governmental setups have spawned a generation of politicians, technocrats, and businessmen who are constantly prepared for impending crises.
Asif further noted that when uncertainty prevails, new political factions, press conferences, and televised lamentations begin, often diverting attention toward Rawalpindi’s direction.
In his tweet, Asif shared several verses from renowned poet Iftikhar Arif’s poem “Barhwan Khiladi” (12th Man), emphasising the endurance and preparedness instilled in the nation’s leadership amid adversity.
“The twelfth player, too,
What a remarkable player!
He waits…
For a moment,
For an hour,
In which a disaster strikes,
Then he steps out to play.”
Earlier, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said when Shafqat Mehmood was with Shahbaz Sharif, he used to write columns against Imran Khan in very good English.
Asif said Mehmood’s politics started with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and, all the way through Musharraf and Shahbaz Sharif, ended with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“I know Mehmood since 1964. I had a misunderstanding of a close friendship with him for 50 to 55 years.
During that period, they both conducted good and bad deeds together, mostly bad,” Asif remembered.
The defence minister said when the Imran Khan Cabinet imposed Article 6 on him, Mehmood conducted a very smoky press conference against him upon his residence and salary abroad.
“My iqama, business and salary were all declared for 30 years, I faced an intense inquiry due to the conference, but I was happy that I could learn about the true face of some people,” the defence minister went on saying.
Asif said when Mehmood was with Shehbaz Sharif, he used to write column against Imran Khan in very good English.
It is a God’s blessing that some people have loyalty and courage in their DNA, he concluded. –Agencies
