A meeting between the Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa and heads of business without the presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan, combined with unconfirmed reports about the cancellation of leave for the country’s infamous coup-starting 111 brigade, has spurred rumours that a coup is in the making in Pakistan.
Bajwa, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), met with some of Pakistan’s most powerful business tycoons on Wednesday, October 2, at a session titled ‘Interplay of economy and security’.
ISPR reported that Bajwa told the businessmen that Pakistan’s ‘improved internal security environment’ has ‘created space for increased economic activity.’
In addition, rumours spread on Twitter that the leave of the 111 Brigade had been cancelled. A viral but unattributed tweet stated that “All leave of personnel of 111 Inf Bde cancelled. All personnel to report back for duty by last light 04/10/19”.
The 111 Brigade was involved in General Ayub Khan’s coup d’etat against Iskander Mirza, General Zia-ul-Haq’s coup against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s government and in Pervez Musharraf's coup against the Nawaz Sharif regime. It is presently responsible for the security of the Prime Minister and the Islamabad region. In Political Survival in Pakistan: Beyond Ideology, Anas Malik writes that "Brigade 111 is notorious because it is well-positioned to detain civilian leaders and take over the federal government's administrative centers as a coup unfolds."
On Thursday, Bajwa addressed a meeting of Corp commanders, saying that the Pakistani military would give a “befitting response to any Indian misadventure" and describing Kashmir as Pakistan’s country's "jugular vein." Addressing a meeting of the Corps' Commanders on Thursday, Gen Bajwa said the Pakistan Army is "fully configured, prepared and determined to defend honour, dignity and territorial integrity of the country at all cost."
Bajwa is a member of the National Development Council (NDC) formed by Imran Khan in June 2018, whose members also include the PM, ministers from prominent portfolios, provincial chief ministers, and various secretaries. The NDC was formed with the goal to “formulate and tailor policies to achieve accelerated economic growth”.
Pakistan’s slowing economy faces the challenge of meeting the strict conditions of a $6 billion IMF loan. According to the Economic Survey 2018-19, Pakistan's GDP grew at an average rate of 3.29 per cent in 2018-19, against the target of 6.2 per cent set in the previous year's budget.
At a talk held at a seminar of the Institute of Strategic Studies, Research and Analysis in June, Bajwa blamed the economic situation of ‘fiscal management’ but added that the military would do its part to adhere to ‘difficult initiatives’—which included foregoing an annual hike in the defence budget.
Around May of 2019, rumours spread that relations between Bajwa and Khan had grown tense. However, in August, Khan approved a three-year extension to Bajwa’s tenure as Army Chief.
On Thursday, the far-right Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) announced that it would be undertaking an 'Azadi March' to oust Imran Khan from power.
