TV anchorperson Rauf Klasra has claimed that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was gifted a bottle of perfume by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to “calm him down” following a heated exchange during a meeting between the two.
Last month, media reports had emerged that the army chief held a meeting with Fazl ahead of the latter’s Azadi March in which he categorically told the JUI-F chief that he “stood by the constitution and democracy”.
“There is no possibility of a minus-Imran concept […] at a time when the regional situation was critical,” an anchorperson had quoted the army chief as telling Fazl. “We have been doing what the constitution asks for,” the army chief reportedly said, according to the anchorperson.
While some, including ex-army officials, had denied the claims regarding any meeting between the two, no official statements were made as the journalist claimed it was “common knowledge”.
On Sunday, Klasra claimed that “not only did the meeting take place, but it also saw a heated exchange of words between Gen Bajwa and Fazl”.
“Even though both sides state otherwise, it has been confirmed that the meeting did take place. Not only did it occur, but it was also marred by a heated argument as Maulana Sahib defied the army chief,” Klasra said in a video doing rounds over the internet.
Klasra claimed that Fazl refused to budge on his plans and the situation got tense enough for the army chief to gift him a perfume on his way out. “My sources say that Maulana was gifted a bottle of perfume to calm him down,” he went on to say.
