Pakistan Army has rubbished all the reports and speculations regarding any misunderstanding between the government and army. While rejecting all the rumors, Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor said there are no differences among the government and Pak Army as both are on the same page.
DG ISPR was talking to a TV channel when he said PM Imran and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa always remain in contact. He said both leaders meet whenever it is needed, adding that some meetings are reported and some are not.
Govt, Army on same page: DG ISPR https://t.co/kixGbKTnR0 pic.twitter.com/ctniEF3nRd
— Dunya News (@DunyaNews) November 18, 2019
Army’s spokesperson further said it is imperative for the progress of Pakistan that both remain engaged with each other. He added that the Pakistan Army is supporting the democratic government by fulfilling its constitutional obligation.
This is not for the first time that the army has announced to stand by the democratically elected government. A few days ago, Maulana Fazlur Rehman accused the army of backing the PTI’s government without naming the institution specifically. DG ISPR clarified the position of Pakistan army which, he said, always stands by the democratically elected governments. “Opposition should understand that the Army believes in the implementation of the Constitution and the law. We support a democratically elected government, not anyone party,” he explained.
Army and Government are Not on Same Page?
Some media houses and journalists were creating a narrative that the establishment and government are not on the same page after the court has granted bail to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Some reports claimed an alleged misunderstanding between the government and the PML-Q. Journalist Rauf Klasra has revealed that the allies are not at good terms and there may be some serious problems in the future.
Read more: Premiers’ similar past: Are Army, Government on the same page?
He predicted a possible alliance among the JUI-F, PML-Q and Shehbaz’s led PML-N. Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has clarified that there was no misunderstanding between his party and the government. He has rejected all the reports and speculations suggesting a tussle going on among the allies.
Mr. Elahi recently blamed former Director-General ISI Shuja Pasha of interfering with the political process. “General Pasha was the man who forced some of our key members to join the PTI back in 2010,” he told the host in a talk-show.
Chaudhry Pervez Elahi blames former DG ISI Shuja Pasha for forcing many PMLN (Q) politicians including Jhangir Tareen and Aleem Khan to join PTI. pic.twitter.com/M56JCURc1M
— Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud (@IhsanTipu) November 16, 2019
After these remarks, there was a strong perception that the establishment might have decided to put pressure on the current government which does not enjoy the simple majority in Punjab and Center. The PML-Q is considered to be the most powerful ally of the government and any move by them may have some serious consequences for the future of the PTI’s government.
As Maulana reiterated his demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan and said that he was seeing snap elections in the current year. “2020 is far away. I see elections in 2019,” the JUI-F chief said while talking to media after the meeting. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also said that he was seeing snap elections. It made the experts think of a ‘change’ in Islamabad.
Read more: No, No, Establishment is Not Packing Imran Government
But Mr. Elahi, who was among the government’s negotiating committee that held talks with Fazl, also clarified some misunderstanding which took place after the JUI-F’s chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the Mr. Elahi agreed with his stance. In a recent interview on Geo TV, JUI-F chief Fazl had said that Elahi had agreed to his stance when last time the two met. Mr. Elahi said that he had contacted Maulana Fazlur Rehman to save the country from descending into political chaos.
It is worth noting that Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of JUI-F, has announced to implement plan-B of his anti-government campaign to get the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan. During the first phase of his campaign, Maulana held a 13-days long dharna in the federal capital but remained unable to get any face-saving. He called off dharna and threatened to block all the major highways across the country until the premier steps down.
Azadi March Plan B: JUI-F to end Islamabad sit-in, spread protest across Pakistan https://t.co/uT4e9aokgZ
— Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) November 13, 2019