It was Sharif who sought army’s ‘facilitative role’

Pakistan Army on Friday said it was the government that had asked it to play a “facilitative role” in resolving the current impasse, contradicting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s statement that protest leaders had approached the army chief to intervene.

“COAS (chief of army staff) was asked by the government to play facilitative role for resolution of current impasse, in Thursday’s meeting, at PM house,” Major General Asim Bajwa tweeted as Sharif and protest leaders Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri traded charges over who was responsible for the army’s intervention.

Bajwa’s remarks came after Prime Minister Sharif told the National Assembly on Friday that “neither had I asked army nor the armed forces sought a role in the present political crisis”.

Sharif scotched media reports that it was he who “requested” the army to come to his rescue, saying it was Khan and Qadri who approached Army chief General Raheel Sharif to become a mediator.

Responding to Sharif’s statement, an angry Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Qadri shot back, “I say this categorically that the prime minister asked the army to intervene. I am saying, on the record, that we did not make any request asking the army to intervene.”

“I had not even spoken to the army chief before our meeting Thursday night,” Qadri said, adding that Sharif made the statement after he saw his government was losing strength. The fiery cleric claimed that Sharif was lying.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan also slammed the premier for saying Qadri and he asked for the army to intervene.

“I want to tell you what I told the army chief. I told Gen Raheel that I do not trust Nawaz Sharif at all. I told Gen Raheel every reason as to why I will not leave without their resignations,” Khan said, adding that PTI did not ask the army to mediate.

“I am not going to backtrack on the resignation of the prime minister on any account,” he said.

The army had earlier asked all stakeholders in the crisis to hold “meaningful” talks to end the crisis.

NISAR SAYS ISPR TWEET VINDICATES GOVT STANCE:

Later in the evening, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan refuted allegations that the Pakistan Army is playing the role of “mediator and guarantor” in the current political scenario on the government’s call, adding that the military’s statement saying it was playing the role of “facilitator” in the ongoing political crisis at the government’s behest is a vindication of the government’s point of view and in line with the constitution.

Addressing a press conference after the ISPR DG’s tweet, Nisar claimed that the ISPR DG had sought approval before tweeting the statement. “I showed the statement to the prime minister who approved it,” he claimed.

“The facilitation being done by the army has been allowed and authorised by the government,” said Nisar, while adding that the government never asked the army to play the role of “mediator or guarantor” to end the political stalemate.

Explaining the government’s decision of engaging the army, Nisar said, “We asked the protesting parties who they trusted to which they said they trusted the army. So the government gave the army the responsibility to facilitate the process within the constitutional and legal ambit.”

“No one had requested the army to be made a guarantor or an arbitrator in the crisis, he said,” adding that having the army as a guarantor and an arbitrator would be unconstitutional. The army is totally apolitical and is working within its legal perimeters, the interior minister said.

However, the ISPR DG’s tweet did not clarify whether the request from the government came as a result of PTI and PAT’s demands for army involvement, as the government maintains.

NISAR POINTS TO KHAN AND QADRI:

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Sharif and his interior minister Nisar told the members of the National Assembly that the step to involve the army was taken on a request by the protesting parties.

“The government allowed this facilitation, it should not be interpreted beyond that,” Nisar said, making a policy statement in the House.

“This is not PTI or PAT’s army, this is Pakistan’s army and instead of being in North Waziristan it is standing in Islamabad because “these parties (PAT and PTI) have brought it (army) here,” he said.

“These two groups do not trust the judiciary; they do not trust the opposition parties in this assembly; they do not trust lawyers, tribunals – if they do not trust anyone what option did the government have?”

He said that all political forces are on one side except two groups who are trying to implement their agenda through mob politics.

He said that the government has promised to accept all demands of the protesters but the resignation of a democratically-elected PM is out of the question.

Nisar said that the government allowed the protesters to record their protest in a democratic way but when they were informed about their limits they started to use unlawful ways to push for their demands.

SHAH LAMENTS ARMY MEDIATION, NAWAZ DISTANCES HIMSELF:

Speaking after Nisar, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah pledged the opposition’s continued support to the government, saying the ISPR must clarify the details of Gen Sharif’s meetings with Khan and Qadri.

Drawing attention to the events of late Thursday and early Friday which began to give the impression that Nawaz Sharif had relinquished control of the situation, Shah said some Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmakers even cried over the uncertainty that developed as a result.

“The impression that began to form since late Thursday has been very alarming and although the interior minister has clarified the government’s point of view, I would like to say that the ISPR owes the people of this country a clarification that those who were playing this game of terror in the name of democracy had called them to mediate,” Shah told the House.

Shah, who thundered his support for the government during the session, was emphatic that the ISPR should clarify if and why the PTI and PAT had requested a meeting with the army chief, adding that neither of these parties wanted the supremacy of the constitution and the parliament.

“We are democrats and have rendered a series of sacrifices for democracy,” he said, adding that supporters of PTI and PAT may burn down parliament and the capital if they must.

He said the opposition firmly stood by the recently adopted resolution calling to safeguard the parliament and democracy from disruptive forces.

After the opposition leader concluded his address, Prime Minister Sharif took the floor of the House and said it was unthinkable that he would make a U-turn upon his stance after going through countless trials and tribulations for democracy.

His address to the House began with a lauding of Khurshid Shah’s speech who said the PPP leader’s words had perfectly represented his own views.

Explaining what transpired that led to the army chief’s meeting with Imran and Qadri, Nawaz said it so happened that “I was in a meeting when Nisar got a call requesting if Gen Raheel could meet with Imran and Qadri to which I said they have requested the meeting and if Gen Raheel wants to meet them, he should go ahead”.

Nawaz emphasised that although governments came and go, he had pledged to Benazir Bhutto that both parties would struggle to strengthen democracy, parliament and rule of law in the country.

He said he could sacrifice 10 governments but not his principles, and added that Nisar had fully explained that it was unimaginable that the government would approach the army to get into a mediating role.

He said the army may have spoken to Khan and Qadri because the army has been deployed in the capital under Article 245 and has been given the duty to protect a number of national installations.