For the first time after coming to power, the federal government led by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition has started talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, to find a political solution. According to a media report on Sunday, the appointment of a new army chief was discussed among other issues. The Express Tribune newspaper quoted a source as saying that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar met President Arif Alvi on Friday and offered talks to resolve political issues.
Dar had two meetings with the President
The source said the chairman, a member of Khan's party, told Dar that his message would be conveyed to the PTI leadership. The source said that in response to the government's offer, the PTI leadership has also shown a willingness and authorized the President to engage with the government. Dar has had two meetings with the President in the last three days. PTI wants the date of the general elections to be announced soon.
If the government agrees, PTI is ready to rejoin Parliament for talks on the electoral structure. It is also reported that the purpose of the meeting between the Finance Minister and the President was to ensure that the process of appointing the new Pakistan Army chief ends smoothly. Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa will retire on 29 November.
The appointment of a new army chief is not a PTI issue
Under the law, the president can withhold the summary on the appointment of the army chief sent by the prime minister for 25 days. Sources, however, said that the appointment of the army chief is a very sensitive matter and delaying the process would not be in the national interest. A PTI leader told The Express Tribune that the President can ask for a reconsideration if the army chief is appointed by the government in violation of due process.
He, however, said the party would not dispute the appointment of a general as the army chief. "Now the appointment of a new chief is not a PTI issue," he said. However, he remarked that the civilian and military leadership were not on the same page regarding the appointment of the new chief. The Express Tribune also reported that a summary regarding the appointment of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is yet to be initiated by the Defense Ministry. A source claimed that the briefing could begin anytime in the next 36 hours, but if there is any further delay, the government may clear the appointment of the new army chief through the federal cabinet.
A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader dismissed reports about differences between the civilian and military leadership on the matter and said the decision has already been taken and will be announced soon. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has consulted former President Asif Ali Zardari and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Meanwhile, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned that the President would be held responsible if there were any irregularities in the process.
Legal experts said that the matter may come to the Supreme Court based on not following the pre-determined procedure regarding the appointment of the chief. Political analysts suggested that the new COAS would face several challenges such as political instability and a worsening economic situation due to PTI chief Khan's anti-establishment narrative.
The PTI is expecting the new army chief to ensure early general elections while the PDM government wants its government to function smoothly by next September.
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