As the retirement date of Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa approaches, the involved parties are already at work considering various solutions that they believe would best safeguard their interests.
According to local media reports citing political sources said that the next few days are extremely important and that frantic meetings are currently taking place in Rawalpindi, London, and Lahore.
The most significant of these conferences took place on Tuesday at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where the army’s corps commanders convened and the meeting was presided over by Gen Bajwa.
However, ISPR did not publish a media statement and has stayed quiet about the situation despite widespread rumours.
It’s rare for ISPR to not issue a public statement at the corps commander’s conference.
It is believed that Gen. Bajwa’s brief visit to Peshawar on Wednesday, where he spoke to the commanders and soldiers of the Peshawar corps for a few hours, was one of his farewell trips to the formations. This demonstrates that the general will depart on November 29 as planned.
According to reports, the army wants de-escalation with the PTI before the changeover so that the new chief may enter office during a period of relative calm. As a result, there is pressure on both sides to agree on a date for the next elections, which would potentially put an end to the PTI’s long march and allow political parties to focus on other vital matters.
After recently meeting with the military leadership, President Arif Alvi is thought to be playing a significant role in this renewed effort to break the political impasse. He also sent a message to PTI Chairman Imran Khan when he visited him to check on his health.
PM Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday night tweeted, “Off to Pakistan,” as he left Sharm el-Sheikh. Then he decided to alter his course and make a stopover in Qatar before continuing to London to visit Nawaz Sharif.
Media reports suggest that Nawaz Sharif is unwilling to budge and thinks that Imran Khan’s continuing conflict with the army in the absence of a deal on the election date will cause PTI political capital.
