Unconvinced by cypher plot, Alvi says Army is neutral

Commenting on the cypher issue, President Dr Arif Alvi has said that he is not convinced that there has been any conspiracy.

President Alvi said this in an interview with a private channel on Monday.

He said, "I am not convinced that there has been any conspiracy. I have sent the letter to the Chief Justice because I have doubts and it would be better to take circumstantial evidence on this matter", he said.

President Alvi said Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa's remarks about won’t allow any country, force or group to destabilise Pakistan are totally constitutional. He said the army is neutral and should remain so that is what the constitution says.

I am not an advocate of Imran Khan, he said adding that Imran Khan himself should explain why he doesn’t want to see Army as neutral.

Pertinent to mention here that former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan had declared such cypher as a threat letter and a foreign conspiracy against his government.

Throwing light on the tumbling of Imran Khan’s government in April, Dr Alvi said that Mr Khan was "frustrated" when his government was removed.

To another question, he said that the Pakistan Army should remain neutral. 

Talking on the sensitive issue of appointing the next army chief, Dr Arif Alvi said the appointment should be done in accordance with the constitutional method. He further said that it is better if the new army chief's name is given following extensive consultation to ensure consensus. 

There have been consultations in the past with respect to the COAS appointment, he remarked, adding that deliberations on the army chief's extension have also taken place.

Replying to a question about the recent audio leaks issue, the president lamented that the "leaks' era is on rising" and the "era of privacy has ended".

Answering his role in a possible patch-up between PTI and the establishment, he said that he was trying to make everyone sit down and have a dialogue. “The success of my efforts lies in staying silent. I am not a broker but want people to sit down and have a dialogue on the national issues,” he added. 

Responding to a question he said that he is dealing with two urgent matters—national economy and elections—nowadays. “I am trying to ensure an understanding of the economy," he added. 

To yet another question he revealed that it was the PTI chief’s personal decision not go to the assembly and if he asked me about this matter, he would give some other advice to him. 

 Reporter: Saud Butt