Bajwa was eyeing further extension but Nawaz refused: Imran Khan
Pakistan
Imran Khan said today Pakistan is going through the worst crisis of its history.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan said on Sunday former army chief retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was fully prepared to get another extension but it was denied by Nawaz Sharif.
Imran Khan stated this in an interview he gave to a private channel at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. The former prime minister said he was very saddened by the disloyalty of Bajwa. He said, "initially I gave him the benefit of the doubt, but later I realised that he was the only person behind the conspiracy against me and my government when courts opened at night and the prisoner vans came."
Imran Khan said Bajwa considered Shehbaz Sharif a genius. He was satisfied to give power to Shehbaz Sharif as both of them had similar ideas. He said his government and Establishment were on the same page on foreign policy and coronavirus but "our relationship strained during the last six months of my government."
He said: "I did not grow up sitting in the lap of a dictator. I started my own political struggle and every human being makes mistakes but I tried to learn from them." He said he thought his government and Establishment had same agenda and mission, i.e., to eliminate theft and corruption from the country but "I was disappointed."
"A caretaker government is always neutral but this one (caretaker government) is taking revenge. Which caretaker government puts political workers in jail,” he asked. He said around 3,100 PTI workers are currently in jail and their goal is to weaken us."
Imran Khan further said it's the constitutional obligation of the caretaker government to hold elections in 90 days after the dissolution of assembly. The Supreme Court is also saying that elections should be held in 90 days according to the constitution but the 'thieves' are not accepting it.
He said Pakistan was going through the worst crisis of its history. "We had decided to dissolve the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by keeping the constitution in mind, which clearly states that elections should be held in 90 days after the dissolution of assembly." He said the country's economy was improving during his government but, unfortunately, it was ousted. He said the country’s growth rate was above 6% when his government was removed.
Mr Khan said the country's economy was in turmoil and the PDM wanted to delay the elections and looking for the options to remove the PTI from their way, because they were waiting for the loans so that they could successfully execute their plans to knock out PTI from the electoral race.
Answering a question, he said: "We would find new ways to bring investment in the country if my party comes into power again. We will cut down the expenditure and utilise all efforts to reform the governance system." He said the overseas Pakistanis would also be facilitated.
He said the people had come to know about their rights and it is the right time that they should prepare for the protests. He said the country would collapse and become a banana republic if the rule of law was not ensured.
