Awami Muslim League (AML) president and former minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Friday resurfaced after remaining out of touch since his reported arrest from a private housing society in Islamabad on Sept 17.
In an interview with a private TV channel, Rashid, who served as the interior minister in the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, said that he had gone for a 40-day preach mission (tableegh).
Rashid stated that he was giving the interview because it had become a tradition now. “I had gone for preaching,” Rashid told the interviewer. “Allah gave me the opportunity to spend 40 days in preaching, and no one harmed me. Everyone cooperated with me and all the days passed smoothly.”
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The former minister said that his AML was the smallest political party in the country. However, he stressed: “I belong to my party and will remain so. Neither I am disbanding it [AML] nor am I joining any other party.”
Rashid praised Pakistan Army as the greatest military in the world. He stated that he had been pro-military since day-one, taking the pride in stating that “I am a spokesperson for the Pakistan Army”.He stressed that politicians must work with the institutions.
Speaking about the current situation, Rashid revealed that he had consistently advised former Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan not to engage in conflicts with the military. He specifically pointed out that criticizing Army Chief Gen Asim Munir was a significant mistake.
Furthermore, he mentioned that all three individuals who had been negotiating with the military on behalf of the PTI chairman had subsequently left their own political parties. Rashid acknowledged that he had attempted to contribute to this “positive effort,” but he found Imran Khan to be a “resolute politician.”
Regarding the issue of the cipher (likely referring to a sensitive security matter), the former Interior Minister mentioned that he had been part of the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting regarding the cipher and had firsthand knowledge of all the discussions.
Rashid explained that during the no-confidence motion against then-Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly, he was approached by the PTI’s former ally, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. It was at that point he realized that the PTI government’s days were numbered.
In response to the violence that occurred in the country following the arrest of the PTI chairman on May 9 of that year, Rashid clarified that he was out of the country at the time. However, on May 10, the day after the violence, he publicly condemned it, although his condemnation did not receive much media attention.
