Imran narrows fight to free polls

Senior PTI leader claims party chief’s latest statements on relations with the US and establishment are no U-turns

LAHORE:

With every passing day, as the “Haqeeqi Azadi (true freedom) March” inches towards Islamabad, PTI chief Imran Khan is narrowing his fight down to free and fair elections all the while keeping his guns trained at the “corrupt ruling elite”.

In order to achieve this goal, it was deemed important to mend fences and clear the air on any misgivings and bring down the fronts the party has opened for itself, a senior PTI leader revealed to The Express Tribune.

The leader claimed that Imran’s latest statements on relations with the United States and establishment were no U-turns. He said these statements, especially regarding America, were in conformity with what the former premier had been saying for the past several years – of forging ties with other countries on mutual respect.

He said PTI’s current stated position on both the issues was to clear the air and lessen the number of fronts that it had opened for itself, adding that the party would be able to achieve nothing by keeping too many “balls in the air”.

PTI’s main demand is fresh elections and there will be no compromise on it, he noted.

The party leader maintained that Imran had never desired to appoint a man of his choice as the new army chief, noting that he only spoke about upholding merit in the appointment process for the purpose.

He said the PTI believed that the incumbent government would not appoint an officer on merit, rather they would want someone, who would continue providing them with the support they need to keep the alliance intact and more, to be appointed as COAS. However, we are leaving this appointment issue to the government, he added.

When asked about the change in the PTI position, he said, “let this be a test for this government”.

The party leader hoped that the stance adopted by the PTI on the appointment of new army chief would be reciprocated by the government.

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He stressed on moving forward with a focussed target and observed that the PTI chairman’s statements regarding the US were “distorted by the press”.

In a meeting with journalists in Lahore on Wednesday, Imran had reportedly said that he had taken a backseat on the issue of appointment of the army chief.

It is pertinent to mention here that during the start of the ongoing movement, the PTI had objected to the appointment of the army chief by the incumbent regime and demanded fresh elections with the process of COAS appointment to be put off until a new “legitimate government” was sworn in.

Imran, reportedly hinted at even agreeing to the possibility of extending the tenure of the incumbent chief, saying he would not have any issue if the COAS stayed till a new government took oath.

Recently, during an interview with a foreign publication, Imran said that he no longer blamed the US for his removal from power. Later, the PTI chief maintained that a section of local media tried to “twist” his statement to please the incumbent government.

During the interview with the foreign publication, Imran on his ouster said, ““As far as I’m concerned it is over, it’s behind me. But whatever US desired could not have happened without people here who actively took part in the conspiracy to get rid of me, so US is not be blamed in that sense…”