ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the Presidency on Tuesday, sitting down with President Asif Ali Zardari to squash rumours on social media about the latter’s imminent exit.
The two leaders, flanked by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi pledged a shared commitment to the country’s stability, development, and prosperity.
The official statement issued by the Presidency after the meeting said both leaders discussed different issues from political, economic, and security challenges, to the spectre of terrorism and lawlessness.
Some sources say that beneath the polished rhetoric simmers a tense political undercurrent fuelled by whispers of the proposed controversial 27th constitutional amendment and swirling speculation that Pakistan’s parliamentary system could soon be scrapped in favour of a presidential model.
Social media sleuths are abuzz with theories, many claiming that Zardari’s one non-negotiable demand for stepping down is securing a powerful role for his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the new political order.
Amid the storm, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has been playing defence – twice in recent weeks dismissing the swirling rumours as baseless and malicious.
In a pointed post on X, Naqvi declared there had been no talk of President Zardari’s resignation, nor any ambition from the army chief to take over the presidency.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025