Imran says Gen Bajwa has admitted involvement in ousting PTI govt

PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan has revealed that ex-army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had confessed that he was behind the regime change campaign.

In an interview with Voice of America (VOA) broadcast on Friday, Imran Khan said “General Bajwa told a journalist with much pride how he had our government ousted due to economic policies and other matters."

Interestingly, Imran Khan had earlier blamed the United States for overthrowing his PTI government and later he turned the guns at the ex-army chief.

In the VOA interview Imran said "People were already aware of who was behind overthrowing the PTI regime. However, General Bajwa has accepted and clarified that he was behind our government's ouster."
Imran said that at present the establishment and the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led coalition government are on "one page".

The PTI chief called for an internal military inquiry General Bajwa for his alleged “admission” about being involved in the PTI government’s ouster. Imran said: “The PML-N, PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) and the establishment are all standing on one side … they all together removed our government and Gen Bajwa has admitted to the regime change since he has given his statement to a journalist about for what reasons the government was removed.”

Imran claimed that policies set in place by the former army chief were still continuing.

Imran was referring to Gen Bajwa’s remarks published in a recent newspaper column in his interview. In it, Bajwa said his “crime” was not stepping in to save Imran’s government. He was also quoted as saying that “these people (the PTI) were dangerous for the country”. 

Imran said “Now he has himself said that he ousted the government because, according to whatever he said, there was a danger to the country.”

When asked about the army chief’s acknowledgement of the military’s involvement in politics, Imran said: “There should be an internal army inquiry against him for the statements that he proudly and arrogantly gave that ‘I made the decision because the country’s conditions were such’, as if he was some economic expert.”
He said the army should internally reflect on what happened as a result, adding that distance was created between the people and the establishment. “The whole nation thought that the government was ousted because of Gen Bajwa, but he himself admitted it, so now he lifted the veil from the people’s suspicion and it became clear for them that the army chief removed the government.”