“I did not ask Nawaz Sharif to resign”: Retired Lt General Zaheerul Islam.
Islamabad, Pakistan: Retired Lt General Zaheerul Islam, Former Director-general of Inter-services Intelligence(ISI), stated that he had not asked PML-N leader and three times former Prime minister of Pakistan, to step down in 2014.
He stated that he never sent this memo to Nawaz Sharif and such rumor is fallacious.
He countered that he had always emphasized that Nawaz sharifs government should engage in a political stance with Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e –Insaf (PTI) and (PAT) Pakistan Awami Tehreek to find a solution to end the protest. According to the report, Islam did not elaborate any further.
Lt General Zaheerul Islam’s statement came days after Nawaz Sharif averred that in time of his last tenure in 2014, when Imran Khan headed protests and a sit-in in Islamabad, the retired Lt General had step down from his position as the prime minister of the country. In the case of denial, martial law would be implemented.
On September 30, 2020, addressing the all parties conference (APC) conference through a virtual link, Nawaz Sharif disclosed that he was asked to step down and resign, by a messaged conveyed to him at night. When the 2014 sit-in by PTI was going on.
Nawaz Sharif further commented that he stead resolute and did not give in to pressure.
In a recent interview, Pakistan’s current Prime Minister Imran Khan mocked Nawaz Sharif. He stated that how could anybody have the courage to say that to a sitting prime minister.
He continued that if anybody would have asked him to resign, he would in turn have asked for the Generals resignation.
Imran Khan accused Nawaz of stealing the country’s money, it was this reason due to which Zaheer would have asked for resignation.
Khan gave his opinion that the reason Nawaz Sharif always was at odds with the Armed Forces because the army knew about his corruption.
He wanted to control the Armed institutions like he controlled Punjab police and to exploit them for his use.
Nawaz being absent from the political scenario had re-emerged after months with fresh allegations on the Army.
