President pays homage to martyrs’ sacrifices in conversation with families
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KARACHI: President Arif Alvi on Monday spoke to the families of soldiers who were martyred in various terrorist attacks in the line of duty, APP has reported.
The president paid tribute to the martyred soldiers for their “immense sacrifices” for the motherland and prayed for the patience of the family members, according to APP.
The president telephoned the relatives of Sepoy Nasir Khan and Havaldar Muhammad Amir who were martyred in North Waziristan on Dec 4 and Dec 14, respectively, in a suicide attack in Miramshah.
He also talked to the families of Naib Subedar Qasim Khan and Havaldar Muhammad Changez Chughtai who lost their lives on Nov 26 in a terrorist attack in Lakki Marwat, APP added.
Dr Alvi denies saying ex-COAS helped PTI, Imran
He called the father of Havaldar Parosh Khan, who was martyred in North Waziristan on Nov 30.
Refutes news reports
In another development, President Alvi rebutted a statement attributed to him regarding the alleged support extended by former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf during the 2018 general elections.
A statement released by the Presidency said “President Dr Arif Alvi has taken notice of the statement wrongly attributed to him about the alleged help extended by the former Chief of Army Staff, General (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa, and his team in the Senate, and their help to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) during the elections.”
The statement posted on the Presidency’s official Twitter account claimed the remarks were quoted out of context, “twisted and self-concocted”.
The rebuttal came after several media outlets reported that President Alvi, in an informal meeting, accepted that the PTI was helped by the army in the 2018 general elections and Senate polls.
According to The News, the president made these remarks during a conversation with journalists, business leaders and foreign diplomats over dinner on Saturday.
When asked why the relationship between former prime minister Imran Khan and the ex-COAS soured, the president replied that he was still looking for an answer, The News reported.
However, he added the dip probably came around October 2021 and then April or May 2022, The News reported.
President Alvi also said Gen Bajwa and his team had helped Mr Khan in the Senate, and they did help the PTI during the elections, The News added.
Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2022
