Establishment not apolitical: Fawad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry has said that the present establishment is not apolitical. In an interview with a private TV channel here on Monday night, Chaudhry, however, said that under the new military leadership the establishment’s interference in political affairs has reduced.

The PTI leader said that the difference is that the number of unknown calls received by the PTI leaders has reduced drastically as compared to what was happening during the last several months.

Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi’s statement that the establishment does not want the dissolution of assemblies as it would deepen political and economic instability, Fawad Chaudhry also interpreted it as the establishment’s interference in politics. He insisted that such pure political matters should be left for politicians to decide.

It may be noted that the PTI has been consistently asking the establishment to force the government for early elections. He also referred to the cases of Senator Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill to emphasise his point that the establishment has not become apolitical.

Chaudhry instead said that the establishment always has a political role. When asked about former Army Chief General Bajwa’s announcement that the military has decided an institution to become apolitical, he said that the establishment will not become apolitical on the basis of a mere statement.

He said that the PTI wants a working coordination with the new establishment. The establishment should have working coordination with all political parties, he said, adding that the Army belongs to the entire nation and, therefore, it cannot be associated with any particular political party. All political parties should have a good view about the institution and for the same reason the PTI also wants to have good working coordination with the military.

He said that the military’s top leadership needs to have a working relationship with all political parties. He said that the PTI does not want the Army to support it. He said if the PTI wants to dissolve the assemblies, it should not happen that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi receives a phone call and is told that he should not dissolve the assemblies.