RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan held a meeting with Army Chief General Raheel Sharif here on Monday.

According to sources, they remained with the Chief of the Army Staff for about an hour and discussed with him the prevailing political situation against the backdrop of the sit-ins by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the Pakistan Awami Tehrik in Islamabad.

They informed Gen Sharif about the moves taken by the government to defuse the crisis.

Talking to reporters the interior minister tried to downplay the meeting and said it was a ‘routine meeting’.

Shahbaz Sharif and Chaudhry Nisar also met with the army chief on Wednesday — a day before the PTI and the PAT launched their marches from Lahore.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2014