President Alvi says 'not convinced' US conspired to remove Imran from power

President Dr Arif Alvi said Monday that he was not convinced that the United States had lodged a conspiracy to remove former Prime Minister Imran Khan from power.

In an interview with journalist Asma Shirazi on Aaj TV, the president said: “I sent that letter to the chief justice. I am convinced that there must be a probe on it. I am not convinced on the fact that a conspiracy was hatched. But I have my doubts [and] there must be a probe.

“I also said that you won’t get a smoking gun on it,” he said, adding that he had requested the Supreme Court to take into account the circumstantial evidence.

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President Alvi also emphasised that wider consultation was important regarding the appointment of the new Army Chief.

"The government should consult PTI chief Imran Khan on the matter," he remarked.

Responding to a question about his role in the decision, President Alvi said that he would approve the appointment of the next COAS in line with the procedure set out in the Constitution.

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On the question regarding Imran Khan's possible march and the role of the army, the President said: "Army has a constitutional role to play."

"I don't think that the army should play any unconstitutional role," he added.

He said as the president of the country, he was impartial, adding that his affiliation with the PTI was a thing of the past.

“The party is my past. It is a very good past,” he added.

On the refusal of both PTI leadership and the government to negotiate, President Alvi said that Imran Khan was deeply disappointed by the removal of his government and "especially the manner in which the government was removed and he decided not to sit in the assembly."

He said there was a possibility of early elections. "Both the Pakistan Democratic Movement and the PTI wanted early polls in the past. Even the Supreme Court had considered the issue of early elections and consulted the politicians.

“I am trying to evolve an understanding of these issues and I will facilitate the process. The most important issue is the holding of free and fair elections,” he said.

The president said for the last 12 years he had been advocating for the use of electronic voting machines in the elections, stressing that was the only way to stop rigging.

President Alvi emphasized that the right to protest should be ensured and no issue should be settled through the use of force.