By Anzal Amin
ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Thursday categorically rebuked speculations related to President Asif Ali Zardari’s resignation and the claims that Field Marshal Asim Munir was “aspiring to assume the presi-dency”.
“We are fully aware of who is behind the malicious campaign targeting President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and the Chief of Army Staff,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a state-ment on his X handle on Thursday.
“I have categorically stated that there has been no discussion, nor does any such idea exist, about the President being asked to resign or the COAS aspiring to assume the presidency,” he added.
Naqvi said President Zardari enjoys a strong and respectful relationship with the leadership of the armed forces. He quoted the president as saying: “I know who is spreading these falsehoods, why they are doing so, and who stands to benefit from this propaganda”.
“To those involved in this narrative, do whatever you wish in collaboration with hostile foreign agen-cies. As for us, we will do whatever is necessary to make Pakistan strong again, InshAllah,” the minister added, stressing that the sole focus of the COAS was on the strength and stability of Pakistan and nothing else.
The security czar’s clarification comes amid rumours which began circulating after the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) obtained a simple majority in the National Assembly after the rein-statement of reserved seats by the Election Commission of Pakistan following the top court’s Constitu-tional Bench verdict.
It also handed the ruling alliance a two-thirds majority in the lower house, as its strength rose from 218 to 235 members.
Earlier, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari had also rebuked such speculations while noting that the federal government could not function without the party’s support.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has also echoed this stance with Senator Irfan Sid-diqui firmly denying reports suggesting any proposal to replace the president.
“No such suggestion is under consideration at any level,” Senator Siddiqui said while speaking on a pri-vate television channel.
Stressing that President Zardari was playing his constitutional role effectively as the head of state, the senior politician criticised certain media narratives. Commenting on the coalition setup, Siddiqui said the PPP remains an ally of the PML-N-led govern-ment.
“Being in government together does not imply agreement on every issue,” he noted.
The two parties, considered traditional rivals, have been working together since the ouster of Imran Khan as prime minister in April 2022, with the PPP led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari playing a key role in the formation of the PML-N-led coalition government in the Centre following the February 2024 general elections.
Although the PPP has chosen to sit on the treasury benches, the party has not joined the federal cabi-net and has only opted for constitutional posts such as provincial governors and custodians of the as-semblies.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar last week said that the Bilawal-led party will continue to remain a key ally despite the PML-N securing a simple majority in the National Assembly as a result of the reserved seats ruling.
Dar underscored that the PPP stood by the government during difficult times and the Nawaz Sharif-led party would not abandon it in times of stability.
