Shehbaz Sharif’s Sudden Lahore Detour Deepens Speculation Of Civil-Military Rift | Exclusive

Last Updated:December 02, 2025, 13:32 IST

Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are reportedly pushing for direct influence over appointments, insisting on placing “their own trusted men” in key military and strategic positions

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif (Image: Andrew Harnik/GETTY IMAGES/AFP)

A sudden shift in Pakistan’s political and military power dynamics unfolded on Tuesday when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif diverted his aircraft from Islamabad to Lahore, triggering a wave of speculation within domestic and foreign intelligence circles. According to senior PML-N insiders, the abrupt detour was not a logistical coincidence but the result of intense internal consultations within the House of Sharifs over a series of ultra-sensitive military appointments.

Sources within the ruling party said Shehbaz Sharif is now scheduled to return to Islamabad on Wednesday to finalise the content and timing of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) notification, a decision that has already been delayed multiple times. The notification, along with the appointments of the Vice Chief of Army Staff and the Commander of the National Strategic Command, has become a flashpoint between the political leadership and the military establishment.

According to a top PML-N source, Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are pushing for direct influence over these appointments, insisting on placing “their own trusted men” in key military and strategic positions. The Sharif family, the source claims, seeks guarantees inside the military power structure, concerned that without loyal officers in crucial posts, they may once again face an institutional ambush similar to the one orchestrated during General Bajwa’s tenure.

Indian intelligence inputs suggest that the Lahore detour is a strong indicator of internal mistrust between the Sharifs and sections of the Pakistan Army, especially regarding roles connected to the nuclear chain of command and strategic forces oversight. Indian agencies believe the Sharif family is aggressively seeking institutional safeguards to prevent any future political engineering, while GHQ views Nawaz Sharif’s insistence on inserting loyalists into the National Strategic Command as an attempt to exert political oversight over nuclear architecture.

The delay in the CDF notification, Indian assessments add, reflects deepening rifts between GHQ and the political leadership, with both sides lobbying furiously to control officers overseeing Afghanistan operations, Kashmir policy, and internal counter-intelligence portfolios.

Amid these tensions, the Sharifs remain wary: empowering the CDF structure too much could invite institutional pushback, yet delaying it risks undermining the civilian government’s authority. As Shehbaz Sharif prepares to return to Islamabad, the capital’s power corridors are abuzz with uncertainty, signalling a moment of high-stakes manoeuvring that may redefine Pakistan’s civil-military balance.

General About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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