Sharifs consider Bajwa’s replacement.
The London meeting decides against making a concession to Imran and favors confrontation over the agreement.
LONDON:
General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s successor could not be chosen at the political meeting in London, it was revealed on Thursday.
However, the committee determined that the government would resist any pressure over the next military leader from any source, including PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The appointment of the new army chief was the main topic of conversation between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, and others who are in London to “seek guidance” from PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on important issues and developments. They also analyzed recent statements made by the military’s media wing and discussed the government’s plan to deal with the PTI’s long march, among other things.
The older Sharif recently said in a tweet that the Sharif brothers will not make any concessions to the PTI chairman in response to his demand for early elections or a date for the next elections by marching to the garrison and the capital city.
According to sources with knowledge of the development, the PML-N and the coalition leadership believe Imran has exhausted all possibilities but was unable to win over the powerful, who claimed his desperation was clear from his recent utterances.
According to a source, the London meeting has primarily discussed the appointment of the new army chief but has also discussed the PTI’s long march, the timing of the elections to benefit the incumbent administration, the areas in which it falls short, and the possibility of the PML-N leader visiting Pakistan again. The source claimed that the selection of the army chief was the main agenda item and that everything else depended on it.
In an interview with a media outlet, the defense minister also confirmed that he and the prime minister had traveled to London to consult with the elder Sharif. He added that although the huddle had been unable to settle on a new army chief during its meeting on Thursday, they hoped that things would soon calm down.
Asif previously remembered that the new military chief’s report was postponed beyond November 18 and that there was still a week left to go. He expressed the hope that all would be resolved promptly and without incident in this regard.
According to sources in the PML-N, the objective was to perform “reverse engineering” and pick a military head who does not pressure the government into holding early elections. The administration was also clear that it wanted stable relations with the establishment.
According to the source, “accepting the snap elections or announcing a date for early elections would be equivalent to committing political suicide.”
Despite how surprising it may seem, the source claimed that due to the unstable economic condition and the devastating floods that have ravaged the nation, neither the government nor the establishment can afford elections right now or anytime soon.
The insider acknowledged that “things would not settle until the selection of the next army chief,” adding that the premier’s abrupt departure for the UK was consistent with the changing circumstances, particularly once the army head started farewell meetings.
According to PML-N sources, the current administration was seeking a military chief who would help maintain peace with the establishment, maintain the current momentum between the two sides, and refrain from calling for early elections because, for the ruling alliance, a political death was preferable to a political compromise in any shape.
After the spy chief’s press conference and Imran’s accusations against a military officer in connection with the gun attack at a PTI rally in Wazirabad, he said, the Sharifs and the top leadership of the party’s allies are aware that the fundamental relationship between the PTI chief and the establishment is not going to change anytime soon.
According to PML-N insiders, the London meeting determined that Imran’s claims of the prime minister, the interior minister, and the military officer were “nothing more than a political farce.”
The administration cannot afford to hold elections right now after “burning their political capital,” according to the source, so a “long or short march” will not be able to persuade them.
No acquiescence to PTI
No matter what happens next, the PML-N and its allies have agreed that the government would not concede victory — even a perceived victory — to the PTI in the upcoming general elections, arguing that confrontation is better for the ruling alliance than reaching a compromise.
No matter how the PTI applies pressure to the government, the government will not agree to quick elections or to set a date for early elections; this is final, according to a source familiar with the happenings in London.
According to PML-N insiders, the meeting also approved the party supremo’s recent tweet that forbade PM Shehbaz from participating in negotiations and gave the PTI leader a chance to save face in connection with his long march.
The government and its allies already had clarity on the political situation, but because the situation was rapidly evolving, the bigwigs had once gathered in London to discuss “tactical maneuvering,” according to the sources, who claimed that compromise on elections does not suit the ruling alliance.
