Pak govt asked military to play role of 'facilitator' not 'mediator', claims Nisar

Pakistani interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan agreed to the military's claim that the government had requested the army chief to play the role of a 'facilitator' in the ongoing political crisis but ruled out any 'mediatory' or 'guarantor' role.

Nisar's statement came after the army confirmed on Friday that the government had asked the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif to act as a facilitator in the current impasse.

However, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Tahirul Qadri had earlier said that the government had asked the army to act as a 'mediator' in the crisis.

According to the Dawn, some government officials had reported that Nisar had proposed the idea of military acting as a facilitator.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he had approved the meeting of General Raheel with Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) after Nisar received a phone call from the party chiefs requesting the conference.

However, PTI and PAT chiefs Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri denied the government's claims that they had requested the military to act as a facilitator.