Resurfaced Sheikh Rashid’s new ‘mission’ and its timing raise eyebrows

ISLAMABAD: In a significant move having political consequences, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, who just returned from his “Chilla”, is launching a campaign for general amnesty for all the May 9 accused, including Imran Khan as well as those PTI leaders who are in hiding.

Resurfacing after over a month’s disappearance, Awami Muslim League (AML) chief and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ally Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Sunday announced that he was launching the campaign from Monday (today).

Sheikh Rashid’s new “mission”, launched soon after his resurfacing from “disappearance”, is being seen with keen interest, both for its timing and for the reason that the politician from Pindi is doing it soon after he got free from those who had arranged his “Chilla”.

Sheikh said on Sunday that now the mission of his life was to get general amnesty for all those who were in hiding or were involved in the May 9 attacks or are innocent but jailed. Last Friday, Rashid resurfaced from his “disappearance” in a TV interview in which he said that 9 May was a black day in the country’s history. He said in the TV interview that immediately after May 9, he had condemned the incidents but said that during his time in solitude, he decided to start a struggle to secure a general amnesty for the poor political workers who are involved in the May 9 incident.

He said that he would request Army Chief General Asim Munir to pardon all those who were involved in May 9 attacks or are innocent but are behind the bars. This statement of Sheikh Rashid was significant keeping in view the fact that he said it soon after his resurfacing following over a month-long disappearance.

Though he said that he was doing a Chilla (religious meditation), he was believed to be in the custody of some powerful quarters as has been the case of some other politicians, including Sadaqat Ali Khan and Usman Dar, who had recently surfaced in a similar fashion.

Regarding Rashid’s demand for general amnesty for all those involved in the May 9 attacks, a political observer wondered how he could make such an important statement on a highly sensitive issue on his own.

Speaking to a private news channel, Rashid said he had requested Imran Khan to include him in the parleys with the army, but the former prime minister refused. “He [PTI chairman] is a stubborn politician,” Sheikh Rashid said and admitted that messing with Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir was their mistake.

The former federal minister had resurfaced a day after the Lahore High Court (LHC) gave the police time till October 26 to recover the senior politician, whose whereabouts had not been traced since his apparent arrest last month.

Rashid was arrested from Rawalpindi on Sept 17, his counsel Sardar Abdul Razaq revealed the same day. The former interior minister claimed that he had been on a Chilla for the last 40 days.

He said in the interview that that he had the opportunity to reflect on many things during the Chilla. No one caused any harm to him during this period, he insisted. During the interview, he repeatedly showed his support to the army and said, “Even today, I stand with the army. I suggested to the PTI chairman as well that one should keep good terms with the army.”

The country cannot function without institutions, he said, adding that politicians and the institutions should work together.