Bajwa played double game with me, alleges ex-pm

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said that the then army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa was playing a double game with him and he could later identify that even different men of his party were being given different messages.

“Pakistan Muslim League-q (PML-Q) leader and son of Punjab Chief Minister Pevez Elahi, Moonis Elahi was asked to support me [during the no-confidence move] while the other Chaudhry [Shujaat Hussain] was asked to go to the Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-N),” Imran said in an interview to a TV channel. He was commenting on Moonis’ claim that Bajwa had asked him to support the PTI.

In what appeared to be an atempt to clear the air ater his offer for talks to the coalition government on snap polls, Imran insisted his offer was “misunderstood,” as he made it in the larger interests of Pakistan.

He implored “the handlers” [establishment] of the federal government to realise the country was fast heading towards a default and urged them to act to save the 220 million people from a perpetual loss.

However, Imran said he may delay the dissolution of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies if political players agreed to come to the table and decide that general elections would be called maximum by the end of next March.

He said that Shaukat Tarin [Imran’s finance minister] sat with them (establishment) for two hours and warned them that bringing his government down will lead to economic instability. “They told him and me that there will be continuity and there was no need to be watchful.” Instead, the allies told him that a message was received “to switch over to the other side.” Imran said he eventually sent a message that he will go to the public and seek their support. He said the people supported him ater witnessing the “atrocities” meted out to him during the last seven months. “I asked them on which side they were. I told them that if they were on the other side, then I would have a different strategy,” he added.

Imran said that he was not the only person who Bajwa deceived as there were others, including his colleagues.