ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif landed at the Islamabad International airport on Monday after spending almost a week abroad, first in Egypt’s city Sharm Al Sheikh where he attended COP27 summit and later, in London where he met his elder brother former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the senior leadership of his party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
It has been widely speculated in Pakistan that during his stay in London, Prime Minister Sharif held several rounds of discussions and consultation with Nawaz Sharif to take some crucial decisions, the first and the foremost being the appointment of the next army chief of the country.
The appointment is due as the superannuation date of the incumbent chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa is drawing closer i.e. November 29.
The government has to pick one from the available five or six senior most officers of the Lieutenant General rank for the post before or on the eve of November 29.
Senior most officer next army chief?
Although the government including the prime minister, federal ministers and senior leaders of the party are keeping a mum over ‘who will be the next army chief’, the national media is abuzz with the news that the London meeting between the two brothers has decided to appoint the senior most officer as the next army chief. The government spokespersons, however, refuse to confirm any such media report and insist the decision once taken will be made public.
Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday while responding to a journalist’s question confirmed that during the London meetings, issues of national importance were discussed. However, he declined to give any further details.
To the appointment of the army chief, he said it was the sole prerogative of the Prime Minister to appoint the army chief of the country.
Imran’s marked departure from ‘US conspiracy’
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) former Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken a U-turn on his earlier stance of the US’ involvement/conspiracy behind his government’s end in April this year.
In an interview with Financial Times, Imran Khan made these remarks which have come as a surprise for many because since his removal from office through a vote of no confidence, the PTI leader has been continuously blaming a foreign conspiracy which led to his ouster and that the US administration’s role as key player behind it.
Moscow visit was a mistake: Imran
The PTI chairman also termed his visit to Moscow on the eve of the war in Ukraine as “embarrassing.” However, he said the visit was scheduled months in advance.
Pakistan’s Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman has termed Imran Khan’s U-turn as “Mother of U-Turns.” Imran Khan’s narrative of the US-backed conspiracy behind his ouster caused serious diplomatic damage to the country and now merely giving a statement during an interview you cannot undo that damage,” she said.
She said, “Imran Khan could not be pardoned after retracting from his narrative and he will be held accountable.”
The minister said that on the basis of this narrative, chaos and lies were spread throughout the country and now a simple withdrawal was not enough.
“After terming the Parliament, the Pakistan Army, the national institutions as traitors, he can’t be let off just by saying it’s behind me and it’s over, Marriyum added. The PTI head forced people at constitutional positions to violate the constitution for the sake of his concocted story, she remarked.
Imran Khan, she said, had no option but to surrender his fake rhetoric of the conspiracy, imported government and regime change.
“Imran Khan put Pakistan’s interests in grave danger for the lust for power,” she added.
