Khaqan Abbasi was twice offered premiership during IK’s tenure

ISLAMABAD: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was twice offered premiership during Imran Khan’s tenure and when he was in jail.

Sources said that Abbasi, however, had declined to accept the offer that was conveyed to him through a common friend by the-then establishment.

When approached, Miftah Ismail, who was also in Adiala Jail during those days, said that once Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had told him that he was visited by a common friend who conveyed the establishment’s desire to make him the prime minister.

Miftah said that he knows the name of the “common friend”, who brought the offer to Abbasi but avoided sharing it with this correspondent. According to Miftah, Shahid Abbasi was also told to have the cabinet of his choice, including Miftah Ismail.

Miftah, however, said that according to his information, Abbasi was offered the premiership once during his jail days.

Sources said that Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was told that if he agrees, he could be made the prime minister replacing Imran Khan, whose governance style and performance had really disappointed the establishment, which had allegedly brought him into power through political engineering and managed the 2018 elections.

On both the occasions, the sources said, Shahid Abbasi had conveyed back to the establishment through the common friend that he was not keen on any such offer and if there was anything in the establishment’s mind, it should approach Mian Nawaz Sharif.

At that time, Mian Nawaz Sharif was totally unacceptable to the-then establishment whereas incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had already declined premiership in return to lead his own group in the PMLN. Shehbaz was offered this before the 2018 election but he had told the establishment that he could not stab his elder brother and leader in the back.

Shahid Abbasi, however, got the offer during Imran Khan’s tenure and when he was in jail.

Interestingly, Shahid Abbasi was again in jail when the then Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was given an extension and the matter was referred to the parliament by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The PTI government had already given an extension to Gen Bajwa but when the then opposition, including PPP and PMLN, decided to vote for new legislation allowing an extension, Shahid Abbasi strongly protested and opposed the PMLN leadership’s decision. He had also sent a note of protest to his party leadership, which ignored Abbasi’s advice and fully supported the controversial legislation.