Islamabad, July 10: The Pakistan Army on Tuesday rejected the charge of favouring Imran Khan's political party - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) - in the upcoming general elections.

Addressing the media today, military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Army "cannot have loyalties attached to any leader or party". He said the role of the armed forces is restricted to ensure "free and fair conduct" of elections.

Ghafoor's rebuttal came after the candidates of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the incumbent ruling party, accused the forces of siding with Khan as ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif had attempted to "empower" the civilian government.

Sharif was forced to demit office last year after he was convicted of not disclosing in his election affidavit that he draws a salary of 10,000 Emirati dirhams ($2,723) from an offshore company owned by his son.

After his exit, Sharif blamed the Army and Inter-State Intelligence (ISI) of "conspiring" his ouster as he attempted to challenge their hawkish foreign policy. In one of the television interviews, Sharif said he wanted to prosecute the Pakistani terrorists involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which claimed the lives of over 150 people.

Sharif claimed his anti-terror resolve did not go down well with the military, which considers foreign policy as its own domain.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan, who has emerged as the prime challenger to Sharif's PML-N, has reiterated his conservative views on national security, which fall in line with the Army's views.

The polls, to be held on July 25, also features a third prominent force - Pakistan People's Party (PPP) being led by Bilawal Bhutto, son of late former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto.

Pre-poll surveys have given PTI an edge over the incumbent PML-N. Bhutto's party, meanwhile, is expected to maintain dominance only in the traditional stronghold of Sindh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 10, 2018 09:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).