Islamabad [Pakistan], October 5 : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Usman Dar, who had allegedly gone missing according to his party, resurfaced on Wednesday and claimed that the May 9 attacks were aimed at "removing the army chief", Dawn reported.
Dawn is a Pakistani English-language newspaper.
He said: "Of course, the incident was orchestrated to thwart the appointment [of the army chief]. I believe that Imran also had information from within the institution suggesting that the long march could potentially influence either the appointment or the removal of Gen Asim Munir."
Dar also announced quitting the PTI and politics, noting that he initiated his political journey with the Imran-led party and was now concluding it at the very same starting point.
The PTI last month claimed that Dar was "abducted" in Karachi's Malir Cantt by "unknown persons" and taken to an undisclosed location. The local police had denied arresting the PTI leader.
A video message was released by Dar's mother claiming that her son had been abducted and that the 'abductors' were denying his whereabouts. She had demanded that her son should be produced before the courts so that he could defend allegations levelled against him.
After this, Dar's brother-in-law had filed a petition before the Sindh High Court and contended that Dar was taken away by some persons in plain clothes and travelling in vehicles having no registration numbers on September 9.
Dar has now appeared in the Dunya TV programme 'On the Front', almost 20 days after reports of his abduction had surfaced.
During the interview, Dar was asked about the "masterminds" of the May 9 violence when protests erupted across the country following the first arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
"I have always praised the army and I always appreciated them. On May 6, I had left to visit my family. I believe that the May 9 incident did not occur in a day," Dar responded, as per Dawn.
He claimed that after the PTI was ousted through a no-confidence vote last year, "two mindsets" emerged in the party.
"One mindset included Azam Swati, Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed and Farrukh Habib. Although my friends, they were supporting the politics of confrontation," he alleged.
"Then there was a mindset which had people like Asad Umar, Omar Ayub, Ali Muhammad Ali, Shafqat Mehmood and I, who were talking about reconciliation with the army."
Dar clarified that while May 9 might appear to be a specific date, the circumstances leading to the riots had been brewing and could have erupted at any time.
During PTI meetings, discussions revolved around the potential targeting of state institutions, with Dar asserting that Imran endorsed this stance. He stated, "There were talks about the possibility of attacking state institutions in the event of Imran's arrest, and we foresaw Imran's detention, which ultimately occurred on May 9."
On being questioned about his willingness to testify against Imran in court, he said, "I am prepared to appear in court and evaluate the situation."
He observed that the lives of PTI workers underwent significant changes following the May 9 incident, as per Dawn.
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