Establishment won’t hold dialogues with PTI, claims Muneeb Farooq
Political analyst Muneeb Farooq on Thursday claimed that the establishment had communicated to the Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif-led government that it will not hold a dialogue with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) under any circumstances.
Appearing on the Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath, Muneeb Farooq explained that if the dialogue ever takes place, it would be between the incumbent government and the former premier Imran Khan’s party.
Citing the official statement of the 84th Formation Commanders Conference issued by the military’s media wing, the political analyst claimed that there is no room left for the PTI, adding, “The best bet is Ali Amin Gandapur because he [Gandapur] maintained occasional contact with the establishment at different levels.”
The conference was held at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on November 5, chaired by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir and was attended by corps commanders, principal staff officers, and all formation commanders of the Pakistan Army.
During the conference, the attendees expressed concern over the “malicious propaganda” carried out in the aftermath of the lawful deployment of the Pakistan Army in the federal capital to “secure key government buildings and provide a safe environment for the valued visiting delegations,” Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
As per ISPR's statement, the attendees condemned the coordinated efforts by certain political elements to undermine the Army’s reputation and its relationship with the public. The forum labelled this attempt as part of a larger, externally-fueled plot, which it vowed would fail.
“This pre-planned coordinated and premeditated propaganda reflects the continuity of a sinister design by certain political elements as an attempt to drive a wedge between the public [and] armed forces and institutions of Pakistan,” the ISPR statement read.
Responding to the programme host Shahzeb Khanzada's observation that Imran Khan's wife's bail was not the result of the understanding between the government and Bushra Bibi, Muneeb Farooq asserted that Bushra Bibi was “100 per cent released through understanding.”
“It was a surprise factor for the establishment and Mohsin Naqvi that she did not honour the commitment and agreement on which she came out,” Farooq added.
Recalling Bushra Bibi's insistence on marching towards the D Chowk last week, Farooq mentioned that Bushra Bibi’s decision was outside the syllabus for the establishment and the government.
Bushra Bibi, on her imprisoned Imran Khan “final call,” had marched towards Islamabad along with Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur on November 24.