Imran shares ‘glad tidings’: COAS stands by democracy

Army chief said to have advised PTI chief to adopt softer stance in the wake of Panamagate verdict

ISLAMABAD: When PTI Chairman Imran Khan was asked on Saturday about his late Friday night meeting with General Qamar Javed Bajwa, he gave a rather cryptic reply: “The good news is the army chief stands by democracy in Pakistan. That’s it.”

Imran was speaking to inquisitive journalists who wanted to know what had transpired in the rare meeting at the Army House. After his terse response, the PTI chief refused to take more questions on the matter, saying it would take the spotlight off the event. Imran was attending an event in connection with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government’s ‘Billion Tree Tsunami Campaign’ at a local hotel.



Throughout the day, PTI’s senior leaders also remained tightlipped over the Army House rendezvous only repeating the hackneyed statement: ‘National and international issues of great important were discussed during the meeting’.

However, one of the PTI chief’s close aides told The Express Tribune that the meeting was held on Imran’s request – made a couple of days ago – as he wanted to take the army chief into confidence about the aggressive political line of action his party intends to follow soon after the announcement of Panamagate verdict, expected this month.

He said the need to take the military establishment into confidence over the party’s next political move emerged in view of the PTI’s 2014 experience when the party had gone ahead with its plan to stage a sit-in against alleged rigging in the 2013 polls and was later asked by the army to call it off in the middle.



Imran’s last brief meeting with any army chief was held during the sit-in. During that interaction, then army chief Raheel Sharif had advised the PTI chief to call off his sit-in in view of an important visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan in Sep 2014 to inaugurate the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

In his interview to a private television channel in February this year, Imran claimed that during the meeting Raheel Sharif had assured him of holding a free and fair probe into his allegations of rigging if he postponed his sit-in.

However, Imran had refused to put off his sit-in – a decision that created some mistrust between Raheel and Imran, which, according to the senior PTI leader, continued until Raheel doffed his military uniform.

In this backdrop, he said, Imran met Gen Qamar and communicated his belief that there would be enough substance in the yet-to-be-announced judgment of the Supreme Court to shape the PTI’s political campaign for the next general elections. “However, the army chief has asked Imran to follow the policy of reconciliation in the wake of the Panamagate verdict and to not go to an extent that may generate political instability,” he said.

He said Gen Qamar was of the view that political instability might pave way for external players to intrude in the country’s affairs and to sabotage the smooth execution of the CPEC project.

“Currently, the military leadership is of the view that any political instability in the country in the aftermath of the announcement of Panamagate verdict could undermine CPEC – a project of utmost importance. And this forced Imran to say that the ‘army chief stands by democracy’,” he said.

PTI’s foreign policy concerns

A senior PTI leader – who spoke to Imran soon after the meeting – told The Express Tribune that the PTI chief and Gen Qamar had also discussed the recent decision of Pakistan to join the Saudi-led military alliance and former army chief Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif’s lead role in it.

On Friday, the PTI announced to raise both these issues in the forthcoming sessions of the Senate and National Assembly. While, it is also expected that party may introduce a fresh resolution in both houses to condemn these events, which according to senior party leadership, would adversely impact Pakistan’s neutral position when it comes to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

However, the PTI leader said the party might offer the military establishment to withdraw its plan to criticise the government and military in and outside of the parliament over recent important foreign policy decisions.