ISLAMABAD, (Reuters) – Pakistan’s prime minister, weakened by weeks of opposition protests calling for him to resign, distanced himself from an army move to intervene in the crisis yesterday, saying he was not turning to the military for help to defuse the stand-off.
But in an embarrassing twist for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the army quickly denied this, saying it had been specifically instructed by the government to step in to help mediate with the opposition.
Despite the army’s intervention, the crisis appeared far from being resolved, with thousands of protesters still massing outside key government installations in central Islamabad late yesterday demanding Sharif’s resignation.
Sharif’s efforts to end the conflict have failed in recent days, undermining his clout in a country prone to army coups.
The protests have been led by opposition leaders Imran Khan,
a hero cricket player turned politician, and Tahir ul-Qadri, a firebrand cleric, who have both announced they would now directly negotiate with army chief General Raheel Sharif.
Sharif has emerged much weakened from the crisis, his already uneasy relationship with the military hitting new lows. He was toppled in a military coup in 1999 during a previous stint in office.
Addressing parliament on Friday, Sharif said he had nothing to do with the army’s decision to step into the conflict.
“The army did not ask to play the role of mediator, neither have we requested them to play such a role,” he told the assembly where he enjoys a strong majority.
Sharif added that he had not objected to both Khan and Qadri meeting the army chief. “If … they want to meet the army chief then they should certainly meet,” he said.
However, the army’s press wing tweeted afterwards: “(The army chief) was asked by the Govt to play facilitative role for resolution of current impasse, in yesterday’s meeting, at (Sharif’s) House.”