NEW DELHI: Clouds becoming darker for the Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan with his country’s former army chief General (retired) Raheel Sharif entering politics amidst reported tension between him and the current army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
The knowledgeable sources watching the developments said Saudi Arabia as well as several other Gulf and Arabian countries were trying to get General Raheel Sharif into Pakistan’s politics for their own interests and the issue had also figured prominently in Pakistan’s social media. “This is worrisome for Pakistan because if General Sharif enters Pakistan politics, Imran Khan’s position as prime minister shall be in danger,” Pakistani media reports said.
Raheel Sharif retired as the Chief of Army Staff in 2016. He and his entire family command great respect in Pakistan. Raheel’s father was a major in the Pakistan Army and his late brother Major Shabbir Sharif had received Pakistan’s highest gallantry award.
As soon as he took over as army chief, General Raheel Sharif attacked the militants in Waziristan strongly after which the terror activities in northern Pakistan reduced considerably. When he retired, he was given a grand farewell on the streets as well as on the social media.
It is believed that Arab countries were now encouraging General Raheel Sharif to enter politics to take advantage of his popularity. This latest news comes amid a visit by Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa along with the head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed to Riyadh in order to meet the Saudi leadership in an effort to fix the ties between the two countries.
The trip holds importance as it comes after Saudi Arabia reacted to the statement by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who raised grave questions over the OIC on the Kashmir issue, threatening to hold a conference of foreign ministers from Muslim countries in another country without the cooperation of the OIC.
The statement saw an angry response from the Saudi leadership, which put a halt to the $3.2 billion oil credit facility that was provided to Pakistan in 2018, along with a demand for the return of a $3 billion loan that it banked in Pakistan as a bailout package.
According to experts, General Raheel Sharif has the support of Saudi Arabia. General Raheel Sharif was the commander of the Saudi-backed forces in the Yemen civil war.
Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries are angry with Imran Khan due to Pakistan’s increasing proximity to Turkey, Malaysia and China. It is being said that due to this, Arab countries including Saudi Arabia want to introduce Raheel Sharif in Pakistan’s politics.
(Prachi Vyas)