WORLD NEWS | General Asim Munir working to build unity in Pakistani army and keep Imran Khan out of polls: Report

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 14 (ANI): Pakistani army chief Asim Munir is tasked with building unity among the top ranks of the Pakistani army and ensuring that former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan is excluded from elections expected to be held this year. Years outside the race, The Asian Lite reports. According to news reports, Pakistan Justice Instigation (PTI) chief Imran Khan has so far been able to survive in Pakistani politics thanks to his tenacity and the continued support of those within the Pakistani army. This is why Imran Khan continues to live without judicial custody.

The political drama surrounding Imran Khan recently witnessed a bizarre turn of events when he came to the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) seeking to extend his bail in three of the dozens of cases registered against him, according to news reports.

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The cricketer-turned-politician was seen wearing a makeshift bulletproof helmet that resembles a black hood and is guarded in full force by four men with bulletproof shields and an assistant who will take him on a counter-terrorist mission court. Khan is currently involved in more than 140 cases related to terrorism, murder, attempted murder and blasphemy, Asia Lite reported, citing Geo News.

According to Asia Lite, one of the reasons Lt. Gen. Asim Munir was selected as Army Chief of Staff was his opposition to some of the activities of then-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife as ISI chief .

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An enraged Imran Khan hastily ousted General Munir from ISI. However, while General Munir opposed Imran Khan, there were others in the Pakistani army who supported the PTI chief. One of them is Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, who is also the former DG of ISI.

General Hamid was involved in the operation to prevent General Asim Munir from taking over as Chief of Pakistani Army Staff. General Hamid was reportedly instrumental in supporting and sustaining the PTI-led government, which is why Imran Khan was keen on appointing Hamid as COAS.

In a recent interview, Pakistan’s former army chief, General Kamal Javid Bajwa, said he had overlooked some “unauthorized actions” by Hamid as ISI chief, the report said. General Hamid was reportedly part of a Whatsapp group of generals, judges, bureaucrats and politicians manipulating events in Pakistan. The latest episode has to do with General Hamid’s attempt to thwart the possible selection of General Asim Munir as the new commander of the Pakistan Army.

An investigation by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Pakistan’s central citizen database, has found that some senior officials of the agency were involved in obtaining personal information related to the international travel of General Munir’s wife and her family.

During this time, Farooq Ahmed, a junior data entry operator at NADRA, allegedly accessed the data of a female family member of General Asim Munir and collected details of family members and identification numbers, according to news reports.

The Asian Lite reported, citing The News International, that the data was later used by the FIA’s Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) to monitor the international travel destinations of General Munir’s family.

The plot took place in October 2022, when five senior officials, including Mounir and Hamid, will be mentioned as possible contenders for the COAS post, Asia Lite reported, citing Dawn.

Brigadier (retired) Khalid Latif, a senior NADRA official, oversaw the investigation into the data breach. He was later found to be a close aide to Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed. Latif was subsequently replaced by another senior official, Ali Javaid, and the investigation found that two NADRA officials – Khalid Anayatullah and Amir Bukhari – were key figures behind the data breach.

Leaked sensitive meetings between Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, his chief secretary Tauqeer Shah, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mariam Nawaz and other senior officials from the group , the extent of Lieutenant General Hamid’s network of conspirators can be seen in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) ministers.

The dialogue between the leaders will take place in September 2022. Investigations conducted by the Intelligence Service identified Pakistan Adjutant Commander (ADC) Major Arsalan as the culprit. According to news reports, Major Arsalan was Lt Gen Hameed’s ADC when he was the ISI DG.

Realizing he was under scrutiny, General Faiz Hamid decided to retire early from the Pakistani army in November last year. In March 2023, Shahbaz Sharif’s government launched a corruption investigation against General Hamid.

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan built a network within the Pakistani army to ensure his survival. However, the Pakistani military realized that the PTI chairman had become a liability and needed to be jettisoned. This decision suits Army generals, except General Hamid and his colleagues. For now, Imran Khan is alive in part because some generals have a soft spot for him. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)