Pak army chief has right to comment on country's economy: Abbasi

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that the nation's army chief has every right to discuss or comment on the economic situation.

"If everyone is free to give their opinion on the economy, then why can't the army chief talk about the economy" The Express Tribune quoted Abbasi, as saying in an interview on Aaj Television.

Pakistan's Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had last week said the army was keenly watching developments in the country's economy and shared some of the apprehensions being voiced about it.

Reacting to General Bajwa's remark, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) National Assembly Member Rana Afzal Khan said the army chief should comment on the economy only at the National Security Committee and not publicly.

Abbasi's remarks comes at a time of simmering controversy stirred by a recent spat between Pakistan's Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal and the chief military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor.

According to reports, Ahsan had advised Major General Ghafoor to "refrain from commenting on the economy. as it could damage Pakistan's image globally" after the latter had said in a TV interview that "if the economy is not bad, it isn't good either".