KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Despite Fawad Chaudhry’s claim that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan not seeking a meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir, anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada, citing sources, reported that the former prime minister had indeed sent a message to the army chief but the request was turned down.
The anchor of Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath” said Gen Asim told the businessmen meeting him Monday night that PTI chief Imran Khan sent him a message seeking a meeting.
The anchor, quoting unnamed sources, said that Gen Asim informed the PTI chief that it was not his job as army chief to meet politicians.
“Gen Asim asserted that the army would neither interfere in politics nor would play any role in it,” sources told the anchor. The army chief maintained that he would not interfere in political matters and the political leadership itself should resolve its issues.
Speaking in the programme, senior anchorperson Hamid Mir said President Arif Alvi had tried to arrange a meeting between Gen Asim and Imran Khan. The army chief told the president that he wants to stay away from politics, Mir added.
A day earlier, Fawad had claimed that former prime minister Imran Khan “never made any request” personally or through his “representatives” to meet General Asim. “Chairman Imran Khan has never made any request to meet Army chief or any of his representatives likewise President has never approached Chairman PTI with any suggestion of Army Chief for meeting Shahbaz Sharif, speculations in this regard are baseless,” tweeted the former information minister.
The tweet had come in response to journalist Kamran Khan’s claims that the army chief had told business leaders in a meeting that he was trying to ensure that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Khan meet each other to resolve the country’s crisis.
March 8, 2023
Source: Geo TV
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