Speaker Punjab Assembly and PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has advised former Prime Minister Imran Khan to target his political opponents instead of the military establishment.
Pervaiz Elahi made the recommendation to Imran Khan during an interview with a foreign media outlet. He said that he has advised Imran Khan not to fight with the establishment, whenever he meets him, instead the target should be the political opponents.
Read more: Warned “neutrals” of economic tailspin after ouster: Imran Khan
To clarify, Imran Khan has had a turbulent relationship with the Establishment. The military claims that it is “neutral” and wishes to stay out of political matters. However, Imran Khan, and other political leaders, have made veiled jibes at the Establishment during their speeches.
For instance, back in March, while addressing a public gathering at Dir Scout ground in the Balambat area in Lower Dir district, Imran Khan said animals do not distinguish between good and evil.
“Humans act according to their conscience. And only animals remain neutral,” he said. This statement caused quite a storm as it was considered a direct hit to the military establishment.
PTI’s frontal attacks continue on the ‘neutrals.’
The ‘neutrals’ have not taken the bait yet. The threshold has increased. But so has the cost; hawks in PTI will continue to push the limits, hoping for a rupture.— Salman Masood (@salmanmasood) May 13, 2022
Pervaiz Elahi’s offer
Talking about the relations between PTI Chairman Imran Khan and the establishment, Elahi said, “We are also trying to improve the relations between Imran Khan and the establishment. Whenever we went to Khan Sahib, we said that we don’t need to fight.”
In fact, the Punjab Assembly speaker offered to mediate ties between Imran Khan and the Establishment.
“I am ready to play my role in improving relations between Imran Khan and the establishment,” he said.
مسلم لیگ (ق) کے مرکزی رہنما اور اسپیکر پنجاب اسمبلی چوہدری پرویز الہٰی نے عمران خان کو مشورہ دیا ہے کہ اسٹیبلشمنٹ سے لڑائی کے بجائے وہ سیاسی مخالفین کو ہٹ کریں۔ ملک کی موجودہ سیاسی صورتِ حال پر چوہدری پرویز الہٰی کا انٹرویو دیکھیے وائس آف امریکہ کے اسد صہیب اور نوید نسیم کے ساتھ۔ pic.twitter.com/QdhfjoYsFN
— VOA Urdu (@voaurdu) May 16, 2022
Regarding the neutrality of the institution, Pervaiz Elahi said that the military institution proved itself apolitical as it did not react after the success of the no-trust motion against former prime minister Imran Khan.
The PML-Q top leader admitted that there were several issues that had created differences between the former premier and the establishment. One such issue was foreign policy.
Read more: Will not fight with Pakistan Army, Pakistan needs strong army: Imran Khan
“Some of these issues [of foreign policy] were resolved,” said Elahi, “While some misunderstandings were created regarding Saudi Arabia and other countries.”