ISLAMABAD:Â Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Monday said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sahrif has no power to appoint new army chief, so Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa should be given extension until the new government is elected by general elections. Â
In his exclusive interview with a private TV channel, he said how the person with 85 seats can have the power to select the COAS. The appointment of an army chief should be postponed until the government is elected, which should then choose the new military head, he added.
“Nations that are developing have a better merit system, and the main reason for China’s development is the merit system. I said that Nawaz and Zardari are not qualified to appoint COAS because they are globally recognised corrupt leaders,” Imran took a dig at PPP and PML-N bigwigs.
Reiterating the narrative of a foreign conspiracy, Imran said that the current government came into power through a plot, but if the people in the coalition government came to rule by getting a mandate through the vote, then they [the coalition government] could go for the selection of the COAS. “I am ready to talk with everyone, but first we will talk about the general elections.” However, “they [coalition government] get upset when they hear about elections, so how could I talk to them,” said the former premier.
He said that on one hand, a message is being conveyed that everyone should work together, while on the other hand, his party is being pushed against the wall. “I can bring the whole nation onto the streets,” he said.
Imran Khan said that the country is passing through a difficult phase and he decided to stage a peaceful protest and go home, adding that the elections could be delayed by around two months. “How can a fugitive with just 85 seats appoint a new army chief,” he asked, adding that the opponents could appoint a new army chief if they win the election and he would have no problem.
Khan said that a conspiracy was hatched to topple his government when the country was progressing, adding that he had warned those who had the power. “We said that no one would be able to manage the economy in case of instability at that time, adding that they had no plan to manage the economy, these people just wanted to get rid of their cases.”
The former PM said that he could not imagine that Allah would give him such popularity, adding that he had not seen such enthusiasm during the PTI’s public rallies in big cities. “We are benefiting from every effort of the government, even in Musharraf’s era, I have not seen such cruelty, fascism, people are being intimidated, people are getting calls from anonymous numbers, cable operators were threatened in a telethon,” he added. “My popularity is increasing, but I am afraid of economic conditions,” Imran said.
While reiterating his call for early elections, the PTI supremo said that the best option is to hold elections in the country to bring political stability, and we have the option to resign from all our governments.
“I can take the nation out on the streets whenever I want, and people come to the streets on my two-hour call, the condition of the common man is bad. It is not a difficult task to evacuate the people, but I decided on peaceful protests because the country is facing a difficult time and we cannot bear more damage,” he said.
Imran Khan admitted and stated that accepting the name of the Chief Election Commissioner was a big mistake, adding that the establishment had given a guarantee, but the Chief Election Commissioner left no room against us. “The CEC openly opposed and sabotaged the EVM, and if a transparent election is to be held in the country, voting must be done with a machine,” he added.
Lashing out at PM Shehbaz Sharif, Imran went on to dub him [Shehbaz] as a “fugitive”, questioning how the person with 85 seats can have the power to select the COAS.Imran went on to claim that during Shehbaz Sharif’s conservation with the UN Secretary, he [Shehbaz] had said quite “weird” things. He further lashed out at the PM Shehbaz-led government and said that 60 per cent of Shehbaz’s cabinet are on bail. The Financial Accountability, Transparency, and Integrity (FACTI) panel has conducted research in the world, saying that the elite class, by looting money, sends money to western countries.
The PTI Chairman said, “Shahbaz Gill was tortured badly. He [Gil] messaged him and told him that he [Shahbaz Gill] could not bear the torture further. Shahbaz further told me that he [Shahbaz] was being asked to give a statement against me.” When I saw the footage of Shahbaz Gill on TV, I said that legal action should be taken against the people who sent him back on remand. Imran questioned that this was an act of terrorism. The PTI Chairman said that he went to jail for the freedom of the judiciary and always respected the courts. Imran said he would give his reply in court as he never imagined he would be involved in contempt of court.
