Trouble brewing for Imran Khan? Pakistan Army urging ex-PM Nawaz Sharif to return
According to a report by CNN-News18, sources have said that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had been told in a subtle way that he is needed in Pakistan and should come back to the country.
FollowPakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely in deep waters with tension brewing over power tussle between him and Pakistani army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. According to an exclusive report by CNN-News18, the Pak army and establishment have given a nudge to Khan's predecessor Nawaz Sharif to return to the country, raising speculations of overthrowing Khan.
This development came at a time when Lt General Nadeem Anjum scheduled to take over as DG (ISI) on November 20 and PM Khan reportedly favours retaining Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, the incumbent ISI chief. Imran Khan has constantly faced pressure over burning issues such as corruption, unemployment, poor economy and rapidly growing inflation. As a result, Pakistan's key opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), is all set to take to the streets across the country in an "all-out-protest" against the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
Sources told CNN-News18 that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had been told in a subtle way that he is needed in Pakistan and should come back to the country.
Citing sources, according to the channel, the return of ex-CM Sharif will be a big jolt to Imran Khan as he would then have no option but to resign. “Two options have been presented before Imran Khan— he either resigns on his own before Nov 20, or the opposition brings an in-house change in the Pak Parliament— and in both cases, Khan is going,” CNN-News18 said in its exclusive report.
Quoting sources, the report stated ruling PTI will lose its political allies Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Muslim Leage-Quaid (PML-Q) in the coming week. PTI's Parvez Khattak and PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif are probable names for the Pak Prime Ministerial post.
Nawaz Sharif left Pakistan in November 2019 after the Lahore High Court had granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for medical treatment, and he has been living in London since then.
Imran Khan has been losing popularity within the country for consistently hobnobbing with extremist and terrorist organisations. Pakistan’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed hauled Khan over coals for engaging in talks with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — the outfit responsible for the terror attack on a school in Peshawar in 2014 that killed 132 children.
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