Washington/Islamabad, Oct 13 (PTI) Pakistan Army shouldrefrain from commenting on economic issues as "irresponsible"statements could tarnish the country's image globally,Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said today, amidst growingunease between the military and the civilian government.
Iqbal's response came a day after Director General ofInter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General AsifGhafoor told a private TV channel that, "If the economy is notbad, it is not doing so well either," Dawn news reported.
His remark followed an address by army chief Gen QamarJaved Bajwa to leaders of Karachi's business community earlierthis week, in which he had stressed that economic stabilitywas tied deeply to Pakistan's security concerns.
Bajwa said that national security and economy wereinterlinked and called for broadening tax base and bringing infinancial discipline.
Iqbal said that Director General of ISPR should refrainfrom passing comments on the country's economy.
In a statement, the interior minister, who is inWashington, also said that "irresponsible remarks can affectthe international standing of Pakistan."Pakistan's powerful military has ruled the nation forover half of the country's existence since independence fromBritain in 1947.
The interior minister said Pakistan's economy was muchmore stable as compared with the situation in 2013.
"We have seen a rise in imports as the industrial sectoris investing in the power sector but it's nothing to bealarmed about," he said.
"Revenue generation has witnessed a two-fold increasebecause of the improvement in the tax collection system," hewas quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.
Iqbal said Pakistan's current development budget was itsbiggest in the country's history.
He added that the government had allocated more funds andresources for security.
"We don't need to seek loans from the IMF," he retortedto the recent criticism that Pakistan was carrying a "beggar'sbowl" and there were economic concerns because of its "sky-high debt".
Major General Ghafoor earlier this month had justifiedthe deployment of Rangers personnel outside a court hearingcorruption cases against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif,saying that written orders were not issued on all occasions.
When asked to comment on the hard-hitting statementsissued by Interior Minister Iqbal after he was refused entryto the judicial complex, he observed that the personnelperforming their duties should be appreciated.
"A soldier who is deployed [somewhere] is doing his duty,and if he is told not to allow irrelevant people... it ispossible [to consider] someone who does not have [credentials]as an irrelevant person," Ghafoor had said. PTI AKJAKJ.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.