LAHORE: In yet another hard-hitting statement against the former army chief, PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Monday said that General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa was “solely responsible for the country’s prevailing political and economic crises” — including his ouster from power in April this year.
Speaking to foreign correspondents at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, the former premier alleged that Gen (retd) Bajwa was controlling the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). He claimed that the former army chief granted NRO — relief in corruption cases — to the incumbent rulers despite his opposition.
The ex-PM claimed that initially, Gen (retd) Bajwa did not oppose his anti-corruption drive to hold culprits accountable “but eventually asked me to focus on the economy and to move away from accountability”.
Commenting Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi’s statement favouring the former army chief, Imran clarified that the PTI and the PML-Q were two independent political parties and hence the latter has its different policy on Gen (retd) Bajwa.
“The Punjab chief minister has handed over a summary for the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly to me and I will send this advice to the Punjab Governor on Friday,” he added.
He maintained that the PML-Q was an independent party and thus it can hold negotiations with the PML-N.
The deposed PM said that he could not say to what extent the Americans were involved in the removal of his government. “Hence, I had demanded an inquiry into the cipher,” he said.
Separately in a meeting with PTI Punjab lawmakers, the former prime minister assured them that PML-Q would stand by his party’s decision to dissolve the provincial legislature.
“He (Elahi) stands with the PTI and despite the differences we will contest the upcoming elections together,” the sources quoted the former premier as saying in the huddle.
“[The PML-Q senior leader] Moonis Elahi has assured me of the PML-Q’s full support; hence, there would be ‘dama dam mast qalandar’ on coming Friday (December 23),” he added.
Commenting on the Punjab CM tirade against the PTI over anti-Bajwa statements, Imran observed that Pervaiz Elahi has a habit of taking pressure, adding that the latter “firmly stands” with the PTI and would dissolve the Punjab Assembly when the PTI decides to do so.
“The provincial legislators should not to get confused with the chief minister’s statement and hence should not change their narrative,” he added.
Imran says won’t take ‘any action’ against Bajwa if returns to power
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan promised that although he has a “personal” dispute with the former army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa, he will not take any action against him if he returns to power following the general elections.
While addressing the meeting of a delegation of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, Khan said the newly appointed army chief, Gen. Syed Asim Munir, himself has said that he will remain neutral.
However, he added that holding elections within three months after the dissolution of assemblies will be the biggest test of Munir’s neutrality.
The former prime minister said he explained to Bajwa about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s involvement in Rs16 billion worth of corruption cases. “I told Gen. Bajwa that if we catch 10 to 12 top corrupt people, everything will get back on right track,” he added.
However, he added, he later came to know that corruption was not an issue for Bajwa.
Khan said that Pakistan’s economy would have performed even better if there wasn’t a pandemic and China was not locked down for two years.
The economy of the country is on a decline and the income of people is low then how can loans be returned in this situation, he questioned. “A country cannot prosper if there is no rule of law,” he added.
Talking about the Toshakhana case against him, he said if there was corruption during his tenure, then the opponents would have raised it rather than highlighting the Toshakhana issue only.
“Toshakhana is not a museum. If I had not bought the watch it would have been bought by someone else during an auction,” he said, adding that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari too bought expensive cars from the department.
Earlier, Khan said the “gang of corrupt” got clean chits under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) II granted to them by the former army chief.
The former prime minister made the remarks in the backdrop of the prime minister’s absconding son Salman Shehbaz’s return to the country after ending over four years of self-imposed exile in London.
Khan said that Bajwa committed cruelty by granting an NRO-II to the “gang of corrupt” elements.
Slamming the former army chief, the PTI chief reiterated his government was toppled under a conspiracy and thieves were imposed on the country, the report said.
“Salman Shehbaz, who was an absconder in the Maqsood Chaprasi case, has also returned and given lectures to us, while Nawaz Sharif is planning to return,” Khan said.
