Pakistan: Imran Khan accuses former army chief General Qamar Bajwa of playing 'double game'
Dec 05, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], December 5 : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused the former army chief (retired) General Qamar Javed Bajwa of playing a "double game" with his government, The Nation reported citing a local TV channel. Khan accepted that he committed a "big mistake" by extending the tenure of the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bajwa in 2019.
"Gen Bajwa was playing a double game and I discovered later that even PTI's members were being given different messages," The Nation quoted Imran Khan as saying in the interview.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan said that he would believe in everything that was told by General Bajwa, The Nation reported citing local media. Khan added that he had received reports from Intelligence Bureau (IB) on "what games were being played against his government." Notably, Imran Khan was ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership in April.
"I would believe in everything General Bajwa would tell me because our interests were the same... that we had to save the country," The Nation quoted Imran Khan as saying.
"I did not get to know how the lies were spoken and I was betrayed," he added.
Imran Khan claimed that the then military establishment was in contact with the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to topple his government. He further said that the plot against his government was clear after Lieutenant General (retired) Faiz Hameed was removed as ISI Chief in October 2021.
In response to Moonis Elahi's recent claim that general Bajwa asked him to support PTI, the cricketer-turned-politician claimed that there could be a possibility that Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was asked to support PML-N while Moonis Elahi was told to back PTI Chief Imran Khan.
"It is possible that he [Moonis] was asked to support Imran Khan while the other one [Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain] had been asked to go with PML-N," The Nation quoted Imran Khan as saying.
Imran Khan's remarks come after Moonis Elahi claimed that there has "not" been any contact with the new military leadership. However, Elahi stressed that Pakistan's former army chief (retd) General Bajwa "had turned the tides in favour of PTI," The Nation reported citing his interview with a TV channel. He termed it a "point of contention" with PTI and anyone who calls him a "traitor."
"He was seen as perfectly fine when he was going in their support and now he is called a turncoat," The Nation quoted Moonis Elahi as saying.
