PESHAWAR: Former prime minister Imran Khan has said he does not believe in appointing his favourites as the army chief, ISI director general, NAB chairman and IGP, adding such app­ointments should be made on merit with ‘hardworking people’ being selected.

The PTI chairman expre­ssed these views in reference to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s recent interview in which the latter alleged that Mr Khan wanted to reverse democracy and bring his own army and ISI chiefs.

While addressing a public rally in Karak on Sunday, Mr Khan alleged the PPP chairman and his father Asif Ali Zardari had no knowledge of merit. If they had, they would have appointed former leader of house in the Senate Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, who is a highly educated politician, as foreign minister, he remarked.

“No institution can be put on track to development until its head is appointed on merit while both the PPP and PML-N leaderships had never appointed heads of the institutions on merit,” Mr Khan said. Both these families, rather dynasties, have looted Pakistan in the past 30 years and parked that money in foreign banks, he added.

During these three decades, Mr Khan said, China, Malaysia and Indonesia became richer due to their constant struggle to increase exports. “Without increasing export, a country cannot become financially stable,” he explained to the crowd.

However, the cricketer-turned-politician assured the people that the corrupt leaders would not be allowed to siphon off the nation’s wealth from the country into their bank accounts, as he would take all three wickets Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman — in the elections.

Ridiculing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Mr Khan called him ‘boot polisher’ and jeered: “Whenever he sees a boot, he starts polishing it. The much the boot is bigger, the better polisher he becomes.”

Reiterating his oft-repeated stance about a foreign conspiracy behind change of government this year, Mr Khan said 60 per cent members of the incumbent federal cabinet were facing corruption cases and were on bail. The rulers imposed on the nation had huge money in foreign banks and foreign properties, he said, adding that this was the reason they could not resist pressure from such powers and became suitable for them. Lending strength to his claim, Mr Khan said the PPP and PML-N leadership between 2008 and 2018 did not utter a single word against the 400 drone attacks despite the killing of the people of their own country in these attacks.

He then criticised JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for getting his son, Asad Mehmood, appointed as federal Minister for Communications instead of helping him in getting the portfolio of religious affairs. Mr Khan alleged this did not happen, because there were better opportunities in the communication ministry to make money.