Army chief’s extension, in-house change not on the cards

• PML-N sources say proposal to give extension to COAS not on the table; Say army chief has already rejected the idea of extension and the PM too has a long said he doesn’t favour extensions
• United behind its leader, especially after success in AJK polls, PML-N readies for PTI’s anti-govt campaign

The extension of Chief of Army General Raheel Sharif is not on the table, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), buoyed by the party’s clean-sweep in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, is quietly devising a strategy to deal with the upcoming anti-government drive announced by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on August 7.

A source inside the PML-N, asked to comment on whether there was a proposal under discussion to offer an extension to Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, whose term in office expires in November, said no such proposal was being considered.

“We are open to the idea, but the army chief has refused to seek an extension,” the source said and added that a proposal to this effect can be discussed if a request comes from official channels.

PM IS AGAINST EXTENSION IN PRINCIPLE:

The PML-N leader said that the prime minister was quite appreciative of the role played by the army chief in the war against terrorism but in principle he was against giving extensions.

The source said that Nawaz Sharif as an opposition leader had also opposed extension for former army chief General (r) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in a television interview.

“Since the army chief went public with the announcement to not seek an extension, the matter is closed,” the source said.

Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z) Chief Ijazul Haq also confirmed that extension is not being considered as the COAS has already made clear his thoughts on the subject.

“In my personal opinion, extension should be offered, as operation Zarb-e-Azb is still incomplete and the change of leadership may not be a good idea. The anti-terrorism drive also needs continuity and so, the army chief should stay. However, since the army chief has already made his intentions clear, I don’t know how the matter may be addressed,” he added.

Ijazul Haq opposed the idea to extend the tenure of the army chief through legislation – another possible workaround being touted for keeping the army chief in-charge for now – fearing the matter may be politicised.

“Army’s pride will be hurt if the matter is brought to the parliament as politicians will criticise the idea and it will not go down well with the army cadres,” he said.

PML-N BRACES FOR PTI ONSLAUGHT:

Whether the army chief stays at the helm after November or not, the ruling party is closing ranks around the prime minister as the leader of their party and the country. A source in the ruling party told Pakistan Today that there is no truth in what he called ‘the gossip’ of the change of guard at the Prime Minister’s House and rather a strategy was being discussed to deal with the PTI’s upcoming campaign.

“We will give a big surprise to the PTI chairman if he dares to challenge the elected and the most popular prime minister in the country’s history. The recent election results in Azad Jammu & Kashmir reflect the popularity of the prime minister. We don’t need to prove anything else,” the source said.

The source said that the in-house change was nothing but a figment of the imagination of some biased and failed media anchors and analysts.

“The suggestion is just rubbish,” the source said and added that the ruling party will come up with a surprise in response to PTI’s agitation.

PML-N Information Secretary Senator Mushahidullah Khan also rubbished the idea of an in-house change.

“There is no need for an in-house change and this has been proven after the rout of the PTI in the AJK elections,” he added.

Mushahidullah Khan said that Imran Khan is an agent of the international establishment which is also behind the Panama Papers revelations.

“Panama leaks have nothing to do with the prime minister and rather opposition leaders including Aleem Khan, Benazir Bhutto, Rehman Malik and the Saifullah family are involved in the scam. Since they will also have to answer, this is why the opposition does not want to agree to a probe,” he added.

Asked about the involvement of the prime minister’s family, Senator Mushahidullah said the children of the prime minister were also being accused but they are ready to answer the allegations leveled against them.

“They would answer to a court of law and not to Imran Khan or Aitzaz Ahsan,” he asserted.

The PML-N leader said the people of Pakistan have given an answer to Imran Khan’s allegations in the AJK polls. He blamed Imran Khan for running a campaign counter to Pakistan’s interests saying that the sit-in staged by the PTI in 2014 had not only delayed the Chinese president’s visit to Pakistan but had also resulted in a loss of Rs 800 billion in the stock exchange.

“We will see when the August 7 rally comes out,” said Senator Mushahidullah Khan when asked what the government’s strategy would be to deal with the opposition’s anti-government drive.

Another PML-N leader said that the ruling party is working on a strategy to isolate the PTI chief before he embarks on his campaign.

“We will suffocate him politically and then we will go for the kill if he goes for agitation. No more conspiracies will be tolerated against an elected government,” the PML-N leader said.

‘WHAT IN-HOUSE CHANGE?’:

Talking to Pakistan Today, Ijazul Haq, the Chief of PML-Z, which is also a coalition partner of the ruling PML-N, said there was no discussion at the PM House about an in-house change even when the Panama debate was on its highest note.

“Since the Panama debate is dying now, why would an elected prime minister whose party has routed the opposition badly in the recent polls in AJK even think of a change at the helm? No, this is not the time for change,” he said and added that it is, however, time to deal with the opposition’s anti-government movement.

Commenting on the chances of success of the opposition’s movement, Ijazul Haq said that the opposition is divided and has already lost the plot.

“The recent debacle in AJK polls will prove to be the last straw which will break the camel’s back. The opposition is in tatters and the differences between two major opposition parties can be gauged from the fact that while one is launching a campaign on the pretext of accountability of politicians, the other is running to save its skin,” he said.

Asked to elaborate, Ijazul Haq said that while the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is calling for accountability of the prime minister, the party’s co-chairman can’t return to the country due to corruption cases launched against him and the Sindh government’s ministers.

“How can a party demand accountability when two of their former prime ministers are facing corruption cases,” he added.

On the other hand, Ijazul Haq said that the PTI was badly divided due to infighting between its top leadership.

“If the PTI were to run a successful anti-government campaign, its Punjab leader Chaudhry Sarwar would not have been in London due to differences with party leaders. He would have been on the ground as any successful movement would have to emanate from central Punjab,” he added.

Moreover, he added, the PTI had to fly solo this time around too which reflects its weakness and isolation.

“There is no Tahirul Qadri, no PPP, no PML-Q and no Sherpao. No one is ready to destabilise the system now. So in the extreme weather of August and September, there is no likelihood for a sustained campaign against the government,” he said and added that even media and the civil society were on the government’s side.

“Yes, there might be some rallies and Jalsas in the evenings but nothing more,” said the PML-Z chief.

Ijazul Haq advised Imran Khan to take the time and focus on future planning.

“There are almost two years before the 2018 polls. Imran Khan needs to work on the party’s organisational structure. He also needs to work to get rid of intra-party differences,” he added.