Opposition and COAS meeting.
ISLAMABAD: Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa and head of the Inter-Services Intelligence Lt Gen Faiz Hameed had in a meeting with key opposition figures days before their multiparty conference counselled them to refrain from dragging the military into political issues, government ministers and opposition leaders disclosed on Monday.
The September 16 meeting was attended by about 15 opposition figures including Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq, ANP’s Amir Haider Hoti, JUI-F’s Asad Mahmood, PML-N leaders Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal, PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman and few government ministers.
The above news has been confirmed by many opposition members, who say that a meeting was held with the COAS, in which Shahhaz and Bilawal were present, among others.
Heres what the take aways from the APC seem to be so far.
1. APC was called by PPP, and was meant to 'show' Fazlurehman the hierarchy in the opposition benches. He was clearly told that his APCs dont have the same value as those called by PPP or PMLN, and that he is nothing without them. Messing up with his speech transmission was a part of the plan.
2. PMLN, as always, had a fissure, with the pro Nawaz segment tying their presence to Nawaz Sharif's speech.
3. After the meeting with COAS, PPP and pro-Shahbaz segment of PMLN decided to allow NS to launch his suicide attack. If there was any benefit, the whole opposition would benefit. If there was any fallback, it would only come to Nawaz Sharif. PPP and Shahbaz Sharif benches played it perfectly.
4. Based on NAwaz' speech, he has made it clear that he is not coming back, as he would clearly be subjected to the recently passed anti-army law.
5. Nawaz has also more or less admitted that he is not sick, and that his exile is an escape from justice.
I dont buy the notion that the meeting was in respect to Gilgit Baltistan, as there was no govt representative in the meeting. It was a straightforward message to these clowns to keep armed forces out of their rhetoric. And seems like the opposition agreed...but allowed PMLN to launch a broadside, in hopes of benefiting from both sides of the pitch.
