Analyst asks why Shehbaz prolonged London stay in Nov

ISLAMABAD: Senior journalist and analyst Muneeb Farooq has said that when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended an official conference in the US and went to London, somebody had told him that he (Shehbaz) should stay in London and oversee all issues from there as the situation was going to deteriorate in Pakistan.

Muneeb Farooq was talking to Shahzad Iqbal, the host of Geo programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, on Saturday. Farooq claimed that someone had delivered a message to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, asking him to tick a specific name for the COAS instead of the senior-most officer. Somebody also told him that they did not want the issue to become complicated and martial law imposed in the country with another prime minister of PMLN falling victim to it.

Muneeb Farooq asked if somebody would verify it that all these happened in the month of November.

He said that a conspiracy was hatched against a sitting three-star general so that he did not become the army chief. The identity of the man who conspired is known to several people.

The senior journalist said that he does not feel Imran Khan would now distance himself from the decision of dissolving assemblies.

He said now the main focus should be on the no-trust against Pervaiz Elahi and its outcome as once tabled that move cannot be stopped.

He maintained that he does not think that the opposition has the required numbers for no-confidence’s success.

Muneeb Farooq said that Imran has adopted an aggressive stance as he wanted to save himself from a lot of issues in the present position. All the cases against Imran are of serious nature and it is to early to say if the establishment would have a role. He said the facts of the November episode should come to forth.

Taking part in the Naya Pakistan programme, senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir said the time has come for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari to speak the truth to the nation.

Hamid Mir said that both leaders should tell who asked them to withdraw the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan. Mir said “the narrative of Imran Khan has only become popular because you (Shehbaz and Zardari) do not expose the truth.” They should come out in the open to tell who was advising MQM, BAP and Independents from Balochistan not to take part in no trust motion against Imran Khan.

He also said both the leaders must inform “who directed the current chief election commissioner to hold snap polls or resign.” He said that both the leaders will have to spell out the details if they wanted to compete with Imran Khan and win.

Senior journalist and analyst Saleem Safi, while replying to a question of Shahzad Iqbal, said that at present Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi himself was facing a very tough time as he wanted to continue as the CM. Safi said on the other hand, the PMLN did not offer chief ministership to Pervaiz Elahi. However, Elahi said Moonis had said that the CM’s post was entrusted to them by General Bajwa.

The successor of General Bajwa did not want any instability in the country and a midway needs to be discovered to ease down the situation. Safi said the likely middle path would be for Imran to say that negotiations are underway and another date would be announced for the dissolution of assemblies.