[Iran Press TV] A Pak minister has stepped down after severely criticizing the country's influential army and accusing it of killing prominent politicians. The minister for defense production, Abdul Qayyum Khan Jatoi, made the remarks at a news conference in the western city of Quetta. "We provided the army with uniforms and boots not so that they kill their own fellow countrymen, kill [former Baluchistan Governor] Nawab [Akbar] Sahib [Bugti] and [former Prime Minister] Benazir Bhutto," Jatoi said.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told news hounds Sunday that the minister's statements were his personal opinion and did not reflect the Pak government's view.
Jatoi submitted his resignation to Gilani hours after making the controversial remarks.
Former premier Bhutto was killed in a bombing at an election rally in December 2007, while Bugti was killed in a military operation in the province of Baluchistan in 2006.
Criticizing the army is considered very risky for Pak politicians as it is widely believed to be the most powerful institution in the country. Pakistain's military has staged several coups against the civilian governments and has ruled the South Asian country for much of its 63-year history.