There is no strain between Imran Khan and Pakistan Army. Khan in conversation with journalists rejected speculations of a feud between the PTI government and the powerful army establishment

“The military intelligence agencies know who is doing what. I’m not corrupt. Neither am I amassing fortunes,” he said while speaking to a select group of media persons at his residence in Islamabad on Friday. “The military stands by the government. There is no strain in our relations.” 

There have been wide speculations in the media over the emerging rifts between Imran Khan government’s ties with the military establishment. Last year’s protest sit-in by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the recent tiff with coalition partners added fule to the fire.

Bringing the politico-religious leader into the equation, Khan called for trying him for “conspiring to topple his government”. “He [Fazl] should be charged under Article 6 of the Constitution,” he added.

The JUI-F chief claims that he had called off his 13-day-long sit-in only after receiving an “assurance” that PM Khan would resign in 2020 and fresh elections would be held within three months of his resignation.

Earlier, experts talking to the EurAsian Times state that the reason why Pakistan Army is so powerful is not only because it holds massive sway in the country but also because it is a major “corporate entity”. The Army has deep business interests spread across the country, ranging from real estate to sugar, oil, cement, aviation, and many more.

According to former Indian diplomat G. Parthasarathy while talking to IANS – “The Pakistan army runs an empire within the state. They are in a big way into real estate, sugar, and oil, and run the largest National Logistics Cell and are into building roads and infrastructure. They get preferential treatment in their business, and thus it irks the civilians.”