Mysterious banners appear in Islamabad calling Pak Army Chief to contest 2018 election

Islamabad: Several banners appeared in Rawalpindi on Saturday, urging Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to contest the general elections in 2018.

This comes as the military chief is just a few weeks away from the completion of his tenure, reports the Dawn.In bold letters, the banners call for `no extension but reduction` - asking for reduction from two to one year the minimum duration before a retired government servant can enter politics as well as urging General Raheel to enter the political arena and contest national elections in 2018.

The banners also called on the government and the opposition to bring to an end "their divisive politics".

The banners say there was hope that by taking part in the elections, General Raheel`s party "will secure majority votes and he will be elected prime minister, leading the country on the path to becoming a success".

The posters named a Sheikh Rasheed Amjad Ali, member of a group called the Awami Monitoring Cell (Rawalpindi), as the man who has organised the campaign.Previously, banners calling for General Raheel to continue as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) popped up in cities across the country.