KARACHI: The statement earlier attributed to Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson and former president Asif Ali Zardari terming Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif’s decision of not taking an extension in service ‘premature’ became shrouded in mystery when Mr Zardari denied it in a phone conversation with a broadcast journalist while his party men neither owned nor contradicted the words of their leadership on Wednesday.

Mr Zardari stunned his admirers and critics alike when his statement hit the headlines of television channels on Tuesday but he decided to deny it several hours later while talking to Hamid Mir over the phone as claimed by the host of Geo News flagship talk show ‘Capital Talk’ in a tweet in the late hours.

The statement from the chief of the party, which is known for its pro-democracy and anti-establishment stance, first took many by surprise and then the ambiguity maintained by the party over the denial further complicated the situation.

“The statement was not released from our official channel,” said senior PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira but refused to comment on the statement that called the army chief’s decision “premature” and stressed the “need for continuity in the military leadership”.

When asked about the source behind releasing such a statement, Mr Kaira referred to the media houses which had broadcast and published the statement and said only they could answer this question.

The statement was seen contrary to the former president’s initial response to the announcement of Gen Sharif’s retirement plan last month as Mr Zardari had hailed the decision then. But only a month later, the PPP leadership stressed the need for the continuity of the military leadership, explaining that the country was passing through a difficult phase and continuity of his leadership and the army’s resolute struggle guaranteed security of the country. In the very statement, Mr Zardari’s words gave an impression that it was a deliberate statement which was released after the much-needed brainstorming and consultation within party, as it stated: “Our party considers Gen Raheel’s decision premature which can turn people’s hopes into disappointment.”

Within the span of a few hours, the statement sparked debates on private TV channels and critics called it a volte-face to Mr Zardari’s statement which had been issued in January. While talk shows debated the change in his stance which also made headlines in newspapers, the PPP co-chairman and other party leaders kept a mysterious silence on the issue.

The mystery only deepened after the journalist, Mr Mir, tweeted: “Asif Ali Zardari just called me and expressed total ignorance about his statement he said “me or my party never issued any statement.”

Nobody from the party came forward to own or deny the words attributed to Mr Zardari. However, party insiders said the statement was released to a few television channels from one of Mr Zardari’s close aides who usually performed this job for the party through a defined procedure. “Since the official spokesman of Mr Zardari, Farhatullah Babar, was out of the country, the statement directly landed at media outlets and there was no one to handle the situation that emerged after its release. As far as the content of the statement is concerned, it’s believed that it was prepared with the consent of Mr Zardari,” said a source.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2016