Pakistan staring at another political shake-up? Civilian-military leaders' meeting spark speculations

Islamabad: The latest meeting of Pakistan's top civilian and military leadership has once again fuelled rumours of a possible change in the country's political landscape amid speculations of the army chief possibly aspiring to be the next president.

This is the third time this month that there have been widespread speculations about the change in presidency, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself last week dismissing rumours that President Asif Ali Zardari may be forced to step down and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir to assume his post.

The latest round of rumours came after Field Marshal Munir called on Sharif at the PM House shortly before the latter met Zardari at the president's house on Tuesday, The Express Tribune reported.

The high-level engagements have taken place amid growing speculation about a possible 27th constitutional amendment and rumours suggesting Zardari may step down to make way for his successor, the report said.

The speculation, largely fuelled by social media, hinted at behind-the-scenes efforts to replace the parliamentary system with a presidential form of government.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the speculations were “unfounded”, but confirmed the issue of media reports regarding the president's resignation and his possible replacement by the army chief indeed came up during the meeting between Zardari and Sharif.

He said the speculation stemmed from a media report that was possibly retracted.

Earlier on July 11, strongly dismissing rumours that Zardari may be forced to step down and Munir aspired to assume the presidency, Sharif said such claims were “mere speculations”.

“Field Marshal Asim Munir has never expressed any desire to become the president, nor is there any such plan in the offing,” Sharif told The News.

Sharif's clarification had come after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a statement on X on July 10, denounced the “malicious campaign” targeting Zardari, Sharif and Munir “We are fully aware of who is behind the malicious campaign,” Naqvi, who is considered close to the top military leadership, had said.

On Wednesday, amid intense speculation about a potential shift in the country's power and political structure, the defence minister categorically refuted all the speculations, and said Zardari was apprised about the developments and he showed “full confidence” in the government and the current political system.

“The president was fully aware of the issue and expressed his full confidence in the government,” Asif told The Express Tribune, adding that Sharif briefed Zardari about the unconfirmed story and the subsequent developments. “It's all kite flying,” he said.

While confirming that Sharif had a meeting with the field marshal before the PM-led delegation called on Zardari, Asif said there was nothing unusual about it as the premier and field marshal routinely meet three times in a week to discuss different issues.

“The army chief has no interest in politics,” Asif claimed.

The defence minister said the army chief already held the highest office in the military and has earned massive respect following Pakistan's recent conflict with India.

“He [field marshal] doesn't need anything,” Asif added.

The minister also dismissed the conjectures that there was a rift between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the two major parties of the ruling coalition, after the former emerged as the single largest party in the national assembly following the Supreme Court's ruling in the reserved seats case.

“We will keep a united face,” he said, adding: “We are not just partners in power but beyond.” Following a split mandate in the February 8 general elections last year, Zardari’s PPP helped the PML-N form the government in the Centre.

In response to a question about whether the 27th Amendment was still being considered even if there was no change in the presidency or the political structure, Asif said there was no deliberation about any constitutional amendment at the moment.

However, he maintained that introducing a constitutional amendment was a legitimate process and could be used just like it had been on previous occasions.

Asif also denied that Tuesday's meeting included any discussion on any legislative business in the coming weeks. “No legislative agenda was discussed during the meeting.” Meanwhile, according to a statement by the President's Press Wing following the meeting, Sharif met Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr in the presence of federal ministers Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Mohsin Naqvi and PM's Adviser Rana Sanaullah to discuss the country's political, economic and security situation.

It said the premier briefed the president on the government's economic measures, and both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to working together for national stability, development and prosperity.