Former federal minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said on Monday that they do not want any confrontation with the institutions but if there is a fight, he will be with Imran Khan in this war.

In an interview to a foreign news website, he said that the former government had some misunderstandings with the institutions which should not have happened. The army is with the democratic government but something happened that the coalition parties left and joined the opposition.

The former federal minister has said that he is not in favor of fighting and still wants reconciliation, adding that he has started efforts this week in this regard but no response has been received so far.

Sh Rasheed went on to say that Imran Khan is ready to hold talks with the government for holding early general elections, but it will require the other forces to be the guarantor.

The AML chief further said that the purpose of the long march is not to enforce martial law in the country but to announce early elections, adding that the army wanted to maintain the continuity of democracy in the country and the only way to maintain democracy is to hold early elections, otherwise, neither we nor the government will survive.

“If a large gathering is held in Islamabad on the call of Imran Khan, then his politics would be overshadowed, adding that the participants of the march won’t return without the announcement of date for general elections,” Sh Rasheed added.