ISLAMABAD: Amid the looming no-confidence motion against his government, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan met Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday.
The meeting is being speculated to have revolved around the recent political developments in the country, with the local media reporting that the agenda of the meeting could have revolved around the upcoming Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) summit in Pakistan, the ongoing unrest in Balochistan and the upcoming no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.
"The majority of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders are waiting for the outcome of this meeting, the result of this meeting will be important amidst the ongoing political developments in the country," Capital TV, a Pakistani media channel reported.
The meeting is also being seen as an attempt by Imran Khan to get back in the good books of the Pakistani establishment, which is the Pakistani Army and thereby, save his government.
The fissures between Imran Khan and the Army establishment became visible when the former in his profanity-laced speech on March 11, had rebuffed Army Chief Bajwa's advice to not use derogatory remarks against Opposition leaders.
"I was just talking to Gen Bajwa (Chief of Pakistani Army) and he told me not to refer to Fazl as 'diesel'. But I am not the one who is saying that. The people have named him diesel," Khan reportedly said referring to JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Meanwhile, 25 lawmakers from Imran Khan's ruling PTI took refuge in the Sindh House in Islamabad, and are widely believed to be rebelling against Khan.
Pakistan media reported on Friday that PTI workers broke the gate of the Sindh House and entered the building. The police arrested PTI's Faheem Khan and Attaullah Niazi who were leading the group in the Sindh House. Some workers who were part of the mob have also been arrested.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz wrote on Twitter that the federal government should "go home" if it has any sense of shame left.
"God willing, you will not be able to save the government, but if you have any sense of shame left in you, then go home," she tweeted.
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leaders also jumped in to condemn the incident. They said that their party workers will have no option but to surround the PTI leaders' house as an act of retaliation.
The Islamabad High Court on Friday called Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's conduct during his rally in Lower Dir on March 11 as "inappropriate" and rejected his and Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar's plea to suspend the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) notice issued to them for participating in the rally.
"You should have appeared before the commission. Your conduct was inappropriate," Justice Farooq told Barrister Ali Zafar, who was representing Imran Khan and Asad Umar, reported The Express Tribune.
The judge was referring to the ECP summon to Imran Khan to appear before the ECP on March 14 to explain his conduct.
"Sufficient evidence is available to establish that you [PM Imran] have violated the provision of the Revised Code of Conduct, Elections Act 2017, and the Rules made thereunder," the commission's notice had read.
Imran Khan had made a profanity-laced speech in the rally, using derogatory language for the Opposition leaders and threatening them with consequences if the no-confidence motion scheduled against Khan is defeated.
Imran Khan launched a scathing attack on the troika of opposition figures, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif, the three leaders who are spearheading the no-trust move against him while addressing a public meeting at Dir Scouts Ground in Balambat which falls in the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the Dawn reported.
Khan referred to the trio of Opposition leaders as "Showbaz Sharif, Diesel and Dakoo".
Adjourning the hearing till March 28, Justice Farooq noted that the court was not suspending the ECP's notice to Khan and Umar.
Meanwhile, ECP is considering putting off the second phase of the local government elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that were scheduled to take place in 18 districts of the province on March 31 saying that the election code of conduct was being seriously violated in the districts.
ECP believes that the level playing field had been disturbed in the area where the polls would be held and the commission would soon make a decision about when to hold the local government elections, The Express Tribune reported citing sources.
Separately, the ECP has also stopped Imran Khan from going ahead with his planned visit to the Malakand district of the province.