PM briefed on ‘unscheduled’ COAS-PTI meeting

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was briefed about what had transpired in the recent Army Chief General Asim Munir’s meeting with the PTI leaders, claimed by a highly-placed government source.

The source, who was approached by The News to ascertain whether the premier knew about this recent interaction between the COAS and the PTI leaders, said that the premier was briefed about what was discussed in the meeting.

The premier was told, according to the source, there was no schedule for any exclusive meeting of the PTI leaders with the Army Chief. After the law and order meeting with different political leaders, it was said, the Army Chief was approached by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for an exclusive meeting with him and his party chairman Gohar Ali Khan.

The premier was told that the Army Chief obliged them but when the PTI leaders talked about PTI issues, they were told to take up political matters with the government. The Army Chief told them that he would not get into such matters, claimed the source, who is close to the premier.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar had confirmed on Thursday last that he had called on Army Chief General Asim Munir along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

Gohar, who was earlier denying it, had admitted this only after Imran Khan told the media persons that Barrister Gohar and Ali Amin Gandapur had met the Army Chief during the latter’s recent visit to Peshawar.

Imran Khan reportedly added that Barrister Gohar presented all matters and demands of the party directly to General Asim Munir. Gohar, however, later said that the security issues were discussed in the meeting without explaining what his relevance was to sit with Army Chief along with the chief minister in a meeting discussing security issues.

Imran Khan had termed direct negotiations with the establishment a positive step towards resolving the ongoing issues. However, some PMLN members of the negotiation committee including Rana Sanaullah and Irfan Siddiqui insisted that the PTI leaders were not encouraged to discuss political matters or what Imran Khan had said about the meeting.

Before the confirmation of this important meeting by Imran Khan, The News had reported that Gohar and Gandapur had an exclusive meeting with three very important persons. It was claimed by the source that a meeting of great importance had been held, and that these backchannel meetings would continue. In the next meeting, a federal minister and two important persons would apparently meet the PTI side. However, the result of these meetings depends on the PTI’s future policies and its style of politics.