Pakistan's PM meets Bajwa, while army remains neutral in the wake of no-confidence vote
Key Takeaways:
- Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan met with Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday amid a looming no-confidence motion.
Amid a looming no-confidence motion, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan met with Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday. According to local media, the two may have discussed the upcoming Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) summit in Pakistan, the unrest in Balochistan, and the upcoming no-confidence vote against Imran Khan.
According to Capital TV, a Pakistani news channel, "the majority of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders are waiting for the results of this meeting; the outcome of this meeting will be essential amidst the ongoing political developments in the country."
Opposition parties have banded together under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement to depose Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government, accusing it of mismanagement of the economy and poor foreign policy.
Disagreements between Bajwa and Khan over the new DG (ISI) appointment haven't helped Khan's cause either. The meeting is being interpreted as an attempt by the former cricketer to regain favor with the Pakistan Army, which has remained neutral in the no-confidence vote thus far.
The schism between Imran Khan and the army was exposed when the PTI leader rebuffed Bajwa's advice not to use derogatory language against Opposition leaders in a profanity-laced speech on March 11.
"I was just speaking to Gen Bajwa, and also he told me not to use the term "diesel" when referring to Fazl. However, I am not the one who says that. He's been dubbed "Diesel" by the public. "According to reports, Khan was referring to Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F).
The opposition needs 172 votes in the National Assembly's 342-member chamber to unseat Khan, with reports claiming that a "significant" number of PTI legislators in Islamabad's Sindh House will vote against their party. In a "conscience vote."
Faheem Khan and Attaullah Niaz of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were arrested on Friday for leading a team of party workers into the Sindh House after breaking the gate.