Imran had been asking Gen Bajwa to get oppn politicians arrested: Report

Pakistan's former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen (R) Qamar Javed Bajwa has a lot to tell about PTI Chairman Imran Khan, his rise in politics and how he ran his government, a media report said.

Sources close to Gen Bajwa said that the recently retired former Army Chief could not respond in public to what Khan alleges against him because of some codal limitations but it is insisted what the former premier mostly says about Bajwa is untrue, the News report said.

Bajwa is now the focused target of Khan who not only sees the former COAS as the sole reason for all his failures in the government but also alleges that the general had removed his government as part of a US conspiracy.

While Khan says it was General Bajwa who was controlling the NAB and deciding the arrest and release of politicians, the other side insists that Khan during his premiership was paranoid towards his opposition and wanted to see all his key opponents behind the bars.

These sources said when Gen Bajwa will speak, he would have no different tale to tell than what the former DG FIA Bashir Memon had alleged about Khan, The News reported.

Like Memon, who had alleged to have been pressurised by the former Prime Minister to arrest his opponents, according to the sources, Khan had also been asking Gen Bajwa to get a number of the-then opposition politicians arrested.

The sources said that when Bajwa said how he could do it, Khan had referred to former President General Pervez Musharraf and his fashion of dealing with his political opponents during his rule. On this, Bajwa had reportedly told Khan that Musharraf was a dictator.

Bajwa told Khan to order him in writing what he desired. Khan, however, did not do it.

The sources further alleges that the NAB was controlled and managed by the former through a duo, lawyer Shehzad Akbar and a key spymaster.

They sources claimed when new DG ISI called on Khan, the latter asked the top spymaster about the major problem of Pakistan. Khan was told, according to the sources, "it's the economy". But Khan responded "no, it's the opposition", The News reported.

On one occasion in the presence of several PTI ministers, the sources said Bajwa reportedly warned Khan against his wish of fixing all his opponents as well as many of his own party leaders.

The sources, however, confirmed that Bajwa had been advising the Khan to focus on economy instead of his opposition.

During his government, Khan himself has been heard complaining about the fear of NAB and its negative impact on economy and civilian bureaucracy. But his urge to fix the opposition did not let him reform the NAB.

General Bajwa is mostly blamed for keenly pursuing what is generally referred to as "Imran Khan project."

During Khan's tenure, the establishment supported him like never before and being the Prime Minister, he repeatedly admitted it and used to praise Gen Bajwa as the best-ever Army Chief, The News reported.

Khan gave three years extension to Gen Bajwa, had offered another extension in March this year to save his government and later even suggested in October 2022 to let Bajwa continue till the holding of next general elections and formation of a new elected government.