LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that the return of Suleman Shehbaz, son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was a part of the NRO-II; “the two families, Sharifs and Zardaris, have weakened all institutions”.
He expressed these views while speaking to the vloggers here on Thursday, said sources. Talking about the former army chief, Imran said he was the prime minister and hence he never called former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa (retd) his boss, adding that the new army chief should not follow the policies of his predecessor. “I hope that General Asim Munir would not follow Bajwa’s policy,” he added.
Khan felt betrayed by General Bajwa; “he had assured us that all was good and nothing will happen to our government”. He said at the time of no-confidence vote against the PTI government, they sent a message to the General that the country could not bear a shock and the country’s economy will default. “A plan was made (to remove the PTI government) while we were given assurances that our government will stay. Now, everyone was saying the default was inevitable,” he added.
He further said that he received a report from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) about a game being played, adding that his informer from the IB used to convey him information orally. He observed that right now the judiciary’s role has become very important; “the people expect from the judiciary to dispense justice as per the Constitution and law.
He also said that he had never thought about appointing Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed (retd) as the army chief, but in this connection propaganda was unleashed against him. He averred that he was familiar with Hameed when the latter was Director-General (DG) of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
To a question, he claimed that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was under the establishment and it only kept its hands on the weak, adding that the society never stabilizes until there is justice. He added that the Pakistani elite cannot afford independent institutions.
He said, “Punjab Chief Minister Chauhdary Parvaiz Elahi has fully supported my decision to dissolve the Punjab Assembly and he has authorised me in this regard. However, the Chief Minister desired to dissolve the assemblies after three to four months.”
Regarding the assassination attempt in Wazirabad, Imran Khan said the attack was planned for almost two and a half months before and added that three persons hatched a conspiracy to make him a victim of religious extremism. “The video of the attacker was released for a purpose,” he added.
He averred that to bring presidential form of government, the numbers of provinces needs to be increased and added that he will not form a government without getting a two-third majority. Responding to another question, the PTI Chairman said that a First Information Report (FIR) should have been lodged on the request of Arshad Sharif’s mother.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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