'Not convinced' of US conspiracy, back probe: President Alvi

Islamabad: President Dr Arif Alvi has said he isn't convinced of the US conspiracy that toppled Imran Khan's government in March this year.

"I am convinced that there must be a probe on it," he said while giving an interview to a local news channel.

“I sent that letter to the chief justice. I am convinced that there must be a probe on it. I am not convinced on the fact that a conspiracy was hatched. But I have my doubts [and] there must be a probe.

Alvi said he had requested the Supreme Court to take into account the circumstantial evidence.

Regarding the appointment of new army chief, he said “broader consultation” on the appointment of the chief of army staff (COAS) was a must so that a consensus could be developed.

The president desired that a summary of the appointment be sent to him after the consultation has been completed.

Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa, who is is set to retire on Nov 29, ended all speculations about him getting another extension when at an event in Washington he confirmed that he would be stepping down at the end of his extended tenure in November.

Replying to a question about his role in the decision, President Alvi said that he would approve the appointment of the next COAS in line with the procedure laid out in the Constitution.

He said that in the past, too, the opposition was consulted on the appointment of the army chief. A similar discussion with the then-opposition was held when PTI chief Imran Khan extended the three-year term of General Bajwa in 2019, the president pointed out.

In 2019, Alvi went on, the National Assembly had approved a law to extend Gen Bajwa’s terms after questions were raised before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

“The law must have been introduced in the Parliament after closure was reached during a consultation.”

To a question on bridging gaps between the incumbent government and PTI, Alvi said that he was impartial as the president of the country and that his affiliation with the PTI was a thing of the past. “The party is my past. It is a very good past.”

The president said there were several problems in the country that “a maverick” alone could not solve. A president could make efforts to bridge that gulf, he stated.

On Imran’s refusal to hold talks with the government, the president said that the PTI chief had become “extremely frustrated” when his government was ousted.

“After becoming frustrated, he decided that he would not sit in the National Assembly”, he said, adding that if he was consulted regarding the decision, “I might have offered different advice”.

To a question about Imran’s march and the military’s role, Alvi asserted that the military had a constitutional role to play.