In an interview on Geo News, Siddiqui revealed that Raheel Sharif had requested an extension more than once. He recalled a meeting in Raiwind, a couple of days after social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi’s funeral, where one of the PML-N’s senior leaders said Raheel Sharif had conveyed a message about “delaying in extending my tenure.”

According to Siddiqui, Nawaz Sharif proposed making Raheel Sharif the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee instead. Raheel Sharif also suggested extending the tenures of the other service chiefs to avoid being singled out, and even asked to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal to extend his time as army chief. However, Nawaz Sharif did not accept these proposals.

Siddiqui further stated that Raheel Sharif had offered Nawaz Sharif relief in the Panama Leaks case in exchange for settling the extension issue, but Nawaz Sharif considered this a greater humiliation than being punished in the case. After this, Nawaz Sharif also received threats of a martial law.

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Siddiqui said that the issues with the next army chief, General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, deteriorated in a similar fashion to those with Raheel Sharif. He believed that if Bajwa had wanted, he could have stopped the tensions, but instead chose an “easy way” for himself.

Siddiqui dismissed conspiracy theories about Nawaz Sharif not becoming the Prime Minister, stating that it was Nawaz’s own decision and not based on the election results. He maintained that Nawaz Sharif remains the “supreme leader and decision maker” in Pakistan, with his party and the largest province under his control.