Imran vows no action against Bajwa if voted back to power

Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan dismissed any notion of taking action against Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa if he was voted back to power, and stressed that coming elections of the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies would be the biggest test of army’s “neutrality”.

Talking to a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), Imran clarified that he had a personal dispute with Gen (retd) Bajwa but “it would be wrong to say that I would take action against him after coming into power”.

The PTI chief said COAS Gen Asim Munir had categorically stated that he would remain neutral. After the dissolution of two provincial assemblies, holding elections in the stipulated period of three months would be the biggest test of this neutrality, he added.

Imran disclosed that the plan to topple his government came to the fore when Faiz Hameed was removed from the post of the director general of Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI). “I told Gen Bajwa that if the plan to change the regime succeeds nobody will be able to control the economy,” Imran said.

“I asked Gen Bajwa how could he give clean chit to Shehbaz Sharif, who was involved in Rs16 billion corruption cases. At that point, it became clear that Gen Bajwa had no issue with corruption,” the PTI chief claimed.

The PTI chief repeated the allegation that Gen Bajwa wanted to appoint former PTI leader Aleem Khan as the Punjab chief minister but “I refused because of his [Aleem Khan’s] corruption and land grabbing” cases. “Aleem Khan even sold land of the river,” he added.

He also claimed that the national economy was performing well during the tenures of the PTI government and the “three dictatorships”. He added that the economy would have performed even better if the coronavirus pandemic had not swept across the world.

He warned that in case of economic default Pakistan would be dragged several years behind. The federation had already crashed. After the dissolution of two provincial assemblies, elections will be held in 66% of the country. “The incumbent rulers should come to their senses,” he maintained.

He questioned when the country’s economy was falling and incomes were shrinking how could “we payback our loans”, adding: “How prosperity is possible in a country where there is no rule of law. Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari are doing politics in Pakistan but all their assets are in foreign lands.”

The PTI chairman disclosed that he had told Gen Bajwa that if 10-12 corrupt people came under the law, everything would be alright. “NAB [National Accountability Bureau] was established in 1999. I ask them to tell me will it help reduce corruption in Pakistan.”

Imran stated that initially, the PTI government had good relations with Gen Bajwa but “all of a sudden everything changed”. He emphasised that accountability was not possible when there was no difference between evil and good.

He said the army was an institution which, if used properly, could drive the country out of crises. Unfortunately, mafias were operating in every institution, he continued. “When the country is handed over to thieves how could you expect development,” he asked.

About the Toshakhana case, Imran said they could only find out the alleged corruption of his government in the watch transaction. “If I didn’t buy this watch, anyone else would have bought it in auction. It was all legal but Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari had illegally bought cars for the Toshakhana,” he added.

Imran further said he would not accept a weak government because he had learnt that it was impossible to deliver anything with a weak control. He insisted that provincial election must take place within 90 days of the dissolution. “If elections go beyond 90 days, it would be a violation of the Constitution.”