With the continuous attacks on the opposition leaders, who have been labelled as traitors and foreign stooges by the beleaguered Pakistani Prime minister Imran Khan, the opposition leaders have asked the military establishment to make its stand clear over the allegations.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman and the opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari asked the establishment to clarify proceedings of the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting as “ex-prime minister Imran Khan” was using “foreign conspiracy” to justify his “coup”, reports The News.
The one of the three big leaders, and former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said in a statement that Imran khan has been openly saying on state media that the leaders of the security establishment were satisfied with his allegations discussed in the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting while the NSC found no evidence of “foreign hand” to oust Imran’s government.
“Imran Khan on a daily basis says that the members belonging to security institutions were satisfied with him so those security members need to clarify their position,” Zardari said, adding that “now the issues are not of no-confidence vote, Imran Khan or opposition but of national security of Pakistan.”
“Will the Army’s DG (ISPR) clarify that the NSC meeting declares the 197 members of NA traitors and part of a foreign plot? Can foreign office or defence ministry produce any official correspondence between March 7-27 on foreign conspiracy?” Bilawal said in his post on Twitter.
ExPM IK is using ‘foreign conspiracy’ to justify his coup. Will @OfficialDGISPR clarify did NSC meeting declare the 197 members of NA traitors and part of a foreign plot? Can foreign office or defense ministry produce any official correspondence between 7-27th on foreign sazish.
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) April 4, 2022
The leader of the PDM, a joint platform of united opposition, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman asked the Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to come out and “expose” the lies of Imran Khan.
“Our institutions have to think about the consequences of such allegations being made by Imran Khan against the loyal leadership of Pakistan,” said Rehman.
So far, Imran Khan’s “conspiracy” story has been rejected by all the stakeholders. The NSC has ordered no more than a “demarche” to the US, which has officially denied any threats. Bajwa has also made it clear that the establishment is not on the same page as Imran Khan on relations with the US, and is keen to repair ties with Washington.
Though the establishment has distanced itself with the ongoing crisis, many experts feel that as the most powerful institution they should play the role of “umpire” to “protect” Pakistan from getting into an abyss especially when Imran Khan has been demonstrating his contempt for parliament and the democratic process.
“Our constitution is the only binding legal contract with the state of Pakistan. Imran and his cabal including Arif Alvi, Asad Qaiser, Qasim Suri, Fawad Chaudhry and Babar Awan have broken this contract and committed treason. They are real traitors,” says Murtaza Solangi, a Pakistani journalist.
