ISLAMABAD – A series of high-profile meetings between the country’s top civilian and military leadership on Tuesday evening triggered a storm of speculation across political circles and social media platforms, raising questions about possible political restructuring or constitutional amendments.
The flurry began when Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister House. The meeting was followed shortly thereafter by another significant engagement between the prime minister and President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr. The back-to-back nature of these meetings, held behind closed doors, prompted widespread conjecture about a potential shift in the political system or key changes at the constitutional level.
Social media and certain media outlets began circulating rumours that the country could be moving towards a presidential form of government or that a 27th constitutional amendment might be in the works. Some went as far as to speculate about a leadership reshuffle involving the presidency.
However, government officials swiftly moved to dispel the rumours. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the meetings had taken place but termed the speculation as baseless. Speaking to reporters, Asif said that such high-level interactions were routine, noting that the prime minister and the army chief meet regularly—up to three times a week.
“The army chief has no interest in politics,” he asserted, emphasizing that there was no discussion of political restructuring, presidential takeover, or any constitutional amendment during the meetings. He accused some quarters of engaging in “kite-flying” and condemned the spread of misinformation.
The defence minister also revealed that President Zardari was fully briefed during the meeting with the prime minister and expressed his confidence in the functioning of both the government and the institutions. He reiterated that all parties are committed to maintaining the current parliamentary system of governance.
Despite the official clarification, the timing and secrecy surrounding the meetings have kept speculation alive among observers. Analysts suggest that while routine consultations are common, their sudden and closely scheduled nature has fed into an atmosphere of political uncertainty, especially at a time when the country faces economic challenges and ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Still, government sources insist that there is no cause for alarm and that the meetings were focused on national security, economic issues, and routine institutional coordination.
As it stands, no formal statement has indicated any move toward systemic political change. The government maintains that all such rumours are unfounded and that the current democratic setup will continue to function as per the Constitution
