- Senator says Raheel Sharif asked for extension more than once.
- Says he also suggested to extend services of three other chiefs.
- Siddiqui reveals Nawaz Sharif refused to accept Raheel’s offer.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui revealed that former chief of army staff General (retd) Raheel Sharif had asked then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif for extension in his tenure in return for relief in Panama Papers case, The News reported.
“It is no longer a secret that Gen Raheel Sharif used to ask for an extension. He had asked for an it more than once,” Senator Siddiqui said while speaking during Geo News programme “Jirga” on Saturday.
The senator recalled that a meeting was held in Raiwind a couple days after social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi’s funeral.
“One of our senior leaders said Raheel Sharif had given him a message that ‘you are delaying in extending my tenure’,” said the senator, adding that Nawaz proposed him the position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee instead.
Siddiqui said that the former army chief also suggested to extend the services of three other 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 extended. However, Nawaz Sharif did not accept his suggestions,” he added.
The senator said that another offer was made to Nawaz from Raheel Sharif, asking him to settle the issue of extension and he would be given relief in the Panama Leaks case.
“To this, Nawaz Sharif said that it was a greater humiliation than being punished in the Panama case. And after that, he also received threats of a martial law,” added the PML-N leader.
Speaking about the relations with former COAS General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, Siddiqui said that the issues also deteriorated with him in the same way they had worsened with Raheel Sharif in a couple of months.
“Gen (retd) 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 Gen (retd) 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 Siddiqui said that Nawaz Sharif had not gone missing from politics. “Pakistan is being ruled by his party and the largest province is also ruled by him. He has been there as a supreme leader and decision maker,” he added.
To a question on conspiracy theories about Nawaz not becoming the PM, Siddiqui 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 premier 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.
