"No two opinions": Former minister Fawad Chaudhry says Asim Munir is de facto leader of Pakistan, not Shehbaz Sharif

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Chaudhry pointed out that US President Donald Trump referred to Munir as Pakistan's leader, while "not even bothering to talk about" Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, underlining the military's dominant role in the country's power structure.

"There are no two opinions that Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir is the de facto leader of Pakistan. The decision-making right now rests with the Army chief -- the Field Marshal," Chaudhry stated when asked about Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir taking centre stage during the recent Islamabad talks.

"At the moment, even yesterday, if you see, President Donald Trump referred to Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir as the leader of Pakistan and did not even bother to mention Shehbaz Sharif. That makes it very clear -- there are no two opinions that Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir is the de facto leader of Pakistan," Chaudhry added.

Pakistan hosted a delegation of the US and Iran to hold negotiations in Islamabad to resolve the conflict between the US and Iran last week. Noting that the economic impact of the US-Israel and Iran conflict is "far greater" on Pakistan, the former minister highlighted that the Pakistani foreign reserves cannot afford expensive imports.

"The war must end, and we get back to normal. The economic impact in Pakistan is obviously far greater because, you know, the kind of pressure on our foreign reserves cannot afford such an expensive import. And, as you know, oil prices and gas prices have really gone up. The people of Pakistan, especially the middle class, are already feeling the heat, and it's getting difficult, very difficult, actually," Chaudhry stated.

The tensions have disrupted fertiliser and fuel supplies, driving up global food prices and threatening food security, especially in import-dependent and developing countries like Pakistan. (ANI)