Bajwa offered two-thirds majority for ending protests in Aug 2022: Imran

‘Better for us to face death than to accept slavery in free country’, sister Aleema quotes ex-PM as saying

RAWALPINDI:

Aleema Khan, the sister of former prime minister Imran Khan, revealed on Wednesday that her brother had received a message from the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, offering a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly to PTI if Imran ended his protest that had commenced after his ouster from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Imran had launched a nationwide protest following his removal in April last year, becoming the only prime minister in the history of Pakistan to be removed via a no-trust vote.

Khan’s party, which governed the country for over three-and-a-half years, had been struggling to stay in power as its allies betrayed and joined hands with the then-opposition parties that had joined forces against the PTI government.

The former PTI chief had claimed that the conspiracy to topple his government was hatched in Pakistan, a contradiction from his earlier stance in which he blamed the United States for his ouster.

“Former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa conspired against an elected government in collaboration with the PDM [Pakistan Democratic Movement] parties when all economic indicators were showing positive trends,” he had said.

After a meeting with Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, Aleema Khan, while talking to the media, said, "Imran Khan conveyed a message to me, stating, 'In August 2022, General Bajwa approached me with an offer that if PTI ceased protests against regime-change, a two-thirds majority for the party will be ensured in the National Assembly'".

According to Aleema Khan, Imran Khan asserted, "Our parents were born in a slave country; we are free, and I will not bow before anyone except God. It is better for us to face death than to accept slavery in a free country".

Aleema Khan further highlighted the challenges faced, stating that every day permission is granted to only three to four journalists in jail.

“There is no open trial [happening in Adiala jail]. The cases against Imran have no weight,” she added.
She further said Imran is entangled in a new case whenever he gets bail in an old case, saying that it was a ploy to keep the former prime minister in prison.