File photo. Courtesy PID
President Arif Alvi on Monday admitted that he is “not convinced” of a foreign conspiracy being responsible for the ouster of Imran Khan from the Prime Minister’s Office, adding that a probe was necessary to either prove or disprove the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s allegations.
“The letter [diplomatic cipher] has been sent to Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and investigation should be held in this regard,” he said in an interview with journalist Asma Sherazi. The cipher has consistently been touted as “proof” by the PTI of an alleged conspiracy by the U.S. to oust Khan and the PTI-led government since the submission of a vote of no-confidence in March of this year.
A recent series of audio leaks, allegedly of conversations between Khan and his party leaders, has raised new questions over the PTI’s narrative, as the PTI chief can be heard discussing means to “play” with the cipher and even dismissing concerns over whether it should be described as a “cipher” or a “letter” from a foreign country, as was originally alleged by Khan. Thus far, two separate meetings of the National Security Committee have denied any foreign conspiracy; the U.S. has also rubbished the allegations as “baseless.”
In his interview, Alvi was also questioned on recent controversial statements by Khan, including his decision to have the PTI resign en masse from the National Assembly. Acknowledging that Khan had become “frustrated” due to the manner in which his government had been ousted, Alvi said that it was up to Khan to explain his remarks about the Army and various national institutions.
“It was Khan’s decision to boycott the assembly proceeding,” he said, adding that had he been consulted on the issue, he would suggested “something else” to the PTI chief.
To another question on the ideal role of the Army, Alvi said the armed forces should remain “neutral,” emphasizing that their role was “clearly” defined in the Constitution. Referring to Khan’s demands for the ruling coalition to not be permitted to appoint the next Army chief, the president said it would be done as per the Constitution. “It would be better if the name is suggested after consultations,” he said, claiming both the opposition and government could sit together to decide on a consensus candidate. However, there is no provision in the Constitution for this, as the mandate to appoint the Army chief rests solely with the prime minister.
The president also discussed his previously proposed “grand dialogue” between all political parties to solve the issues facing Pakistan. He said two major issues—general elections and the economy—could be tackled through national unity. However, he clarified, he wasn’t offering to be a “broker,” merely advising politicians to sit together for the betterment of the nation.