{"id":10811,"date":"2023-10-04T17:44:31","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T17:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/missing-pti-leader-usman-dar-resurfaces-believes-may-9-attacks-were-aimed-at-removing-army-chief\/"},"modified":"2023-10-04T17:44:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T17:44:31","slug":"missing-pti-leader-usman-dar-resurfaces-believes-may-9-attacks-were-aimed-at-removing-army-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/missing-pti-leader-usman-dar-resurfaces-believes-may-9-attacks-were-aimed-at-removing-army-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Missing\u2019 PTI leader Usman Dar resurfaces, believes May 9 attacks were aimed at \u2018removing\u2019 army chief"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>PTI leader Usman Dar, who had allegedly gone missing according to his party, resurfaced on Wednesday and opined that the May 9 attacks were aimed at \u201cremoving the army chief\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, the PTI had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1775246\">claimed<\/a> that Dar was \u201cabducted\u201d in Karachi\u2019s Malir Cantt by \u201cunknown persons\u201d and taken to an undisclosed location. The local police had denied arresting the PTI leader.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  w-full  w-full  media--stretch  media--embed  \">\n<p><div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"LIVE | Usman Dar Exclusive Interview After Long Time | On The Front With Kamran Shahid\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZpObSW_Zq8k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Dar\u2019s mother had also released a video message claiming her son had been abducted and that the \u2018abductors\u2019 were denying the whereabouts of her son. She had demanded that her son should be produced before the courts so that he could defend allegations levelled against him.<\/p>\n<p>Subsequently, the brother-in-law of the PTI leader, through his lawyer, had filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1775440\">petition<\/a> 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 Sept 9.<\/p>\n<p>A day earlier, the SHC had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1779211\">directed<\/a> the police to register a case if a cognisable offence was made out about Dar\u2019s alleged disappearance.<\/p>\n<p>However, in a surprising turn of events today, Dar appeared in <em>Dunya TV<\/em> programme \u2018On the Front\u2019 today, almost 20 days after reports of his abduction had surfaced.<\/p>\n<p>At the outset of the interview, Dar was asked about the \u201cmasterminds\u201d of the May 9 violence \u2014 when protests erupted across the country following the first arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have always praised the army, our martyrs 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,\u201d Dar responded.<\/p>\n<p>He claimed that after the PTI was ousted through a no-confidence vote last year, \u201ctwo mindsets\u201d emerged in the party.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne mindset included Azam Swati, Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed and Farrukh Habib. Although my friends, they were supporting the politics of confrontation,\u201d he alleged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>During PTI meetings, discussions revolved around the potential targeting of state institutions, with Dar asserting that Imran endorsed this stance. He stated, \u201cThere were talks about the possibility of attacking state institutions in the event of Imran\u2019s arrest, and we foresaw Imran\u2019s detention, which ultimately occurred on May 9.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When questioned about his willingness to testify against Imran in court, he responded, \u201cI am prepared to appear in court and evaluate the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He observed that the lives of PTI workers underwent significant changes following the May 9 incident.<\/p>\n<p>In response to a query regarding responsibility for the present state of affairs, Dar attributed the current situation to Imran Khan\u2019s decisions, emphasising that the forthcoming elections would determine the direction of the party.<\/p>\n<p>He commented, \u201cThe governments in two provinces were also dissolved; had they remained in power, the events of May 9 might not have occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He expressed that he initially viewed PTI as a platform for \u201cclean politics.\u201d However, he lamented that after May 9, it had become a \u201cdisgraceful blemish\u201d that would take considerable time to erase.<\/p>\n<p>Dar emphasised that it was essential to recognise that PTI\u2019s foundations were severely shaken following the events of May 9. He stated, \u201cThe entire party structure has been dismantled. You may have supporters, but the absence of effective leadership is glaring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pointed out that even if the PPP and PML-N faced challenging times, the impact was primarily on their second-tier leadership. However, in the case of PTI, it was the grassroots workers who felt the brunt of the situation.<\/p>\n<p>Dar admitted that he considered himself a \u201cmisfit\u201d in the current political landscape.<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting on his decision-making process, he revealed, \u201cI had an offer and an opportunity from the beginning to hold a press conference and leave PTI, but I took five months to evaluate the situation. I was torn between decisions, but I ultimately realised that the necessary environment for change was not emerging and the space was not being created.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He noted that other political parties had encountered challenging periods in the past, but their voter support endured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor instance, when Bhutto was executed, some believed that the PPP would disappear, but its voter base has remained strong for over 50 years, particularly in Sindh,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimilarly, those who exiled Nawaz Sharif thought that his voters would no more remain intact, but his support remains robust here. Even though Imran Khan is currently in jail, he still commands a vote bank.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dar expressed his belief that these three major parties should come together to engage in discussions about national issues, particularly those affecting the general population, and collectively work towards resolving them.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"forced-statement\" href=\"#forced-statement\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>\u2018Forced statement\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>In response to Dar\u2019s claims, PTI leader Hammad Azhar expressed concern, stating that the former party leader\u2019s interview has raised concerns among the families of missing party workers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe families of other abducted individuals of PTI are now extremely distressed after seeing Usman Dar\u2019s interview.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The former minister said the families were fearing for the safety of their loved ones. \u201cThey obviously know that such forced statements have come as a result of unbearable torture,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PTI leader Usman Dar, who had allegedly gone missing according to his party, resurfaced on Wednesday and opined that the May 9 attacks were aimed at \u201cremoving the army chief\u201d. \u201cOf course, the incident was orchestrated to thwart the appointment [of the army chief]. I believe that Imran also had information from within the institution [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2023\/10\/04213440930382c.png?r=213707","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}