Raheel Sharif asked Nawaz for extension in return for Panama Leaks relief: Irfan Siddiqui

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senator Irfan Siddiqui has disclosed that a message was sent to the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by former ISI DG Zaheerul Islam during the PTI sit-in at Islamabad that he should resign immediately.

Talking to host Saleem Safi in Geo News programme Jirga, he said, “Everyone knows who had sent the message. Nawaz Sharif had said, Do what you can; I will not run away like that. Nawaz Sharif was upset that whoever he appoints sends him a message that he should leave. Could this message have been given without the will of the then Army Chief General Raheel Sharif?”

He recalled, “It is no longer a secret that General Raheel Sharif used to ask for an extension. It was the funeral of Sattar Edhi and the message of extension was given there. Nawaz Sharif said that if there is a job problem, then he should become the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and sit in a higher position, but not as Army Chief. General Raheel Sharif not only said it himself but also suggested ways to extend the services of the three chiefs, so that he was not singled out. The second suggestion was that he should be promoted as a field marshal and with it his tenure as army chief would also be ex-tended and the word of “extension” will not even be mentioned. “However, Nawaz Sharif did not accept his suggestions. An offer was made to Nawaz Sharif from Ra-heel Sharif in the Panama Leaks. He asked Nawaz Sharif to settle the issue of extension, and forget the Panama Leaks. To this, Nawaz Sharif said that it was a greater humiliation than being punished in the Panama case. “The issues also deteriorated with General Bajwa in the same way as they had worsened with General Raheel Sharif in a couple of months. General Bajwa had inherited the Panama and Dawn Leaks, whether he wanted it or not, but the environment was entirely the same as what Raheel Sharif had left behind. Only the army chief was changed, the rest were sitting in their place. However, if General Bajwa would have wanted, he could have stopped everyone, but he did not do it, and chose an easy way for himself,” he recounted.

To a question, Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that Nawaz Sharif had not gone missing from politics. “Paki-stan is being ruled by his party and the largest province is also ruled by Nawaz Sharif. He has been there as a supreme leader and decision maker,” he added.

To a question on conspiracy theories about Nawaz Sharif not becoming the Prime Minister, Irfan Sid-diqui said that it was his own decision and it was not made considering the election results. “He never categorically said that he would not become the Prime Minister but in my opinion he thought he had become the Prime Minister thrice and let Shehbaz Sharif move forward,” he maintained.

He rubbished conspiracy theories against Nawaz Sharif by his brother and other quarters and said even the establishment was not against him becoming the prime minister. “Shehbaz Sharif was offered the prime ministership several times in the past, but he never betrayed his brother,” he concluded.