Imran Khan says Gen Bajwa hired Hussain Haqqani to lobby against him in US

LAHORE – Ousted Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan says the former army chief, General (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa, still has influence over the establishment.

The defiant politician made these remarks during his interaction with journalists at his Zaman Park residence in the provincial capital. He alleged that the set-up of General Bajwa was still working in the establishment, revealing that three lawmakers from his party were told to remain neutral in Punjab CM Parvez Elahi’s vote of confidence.

Khan, 70, is up in arms against the former COAS, who remains mostly tight-lipped about the allegations levelled by the PTI chief. Khan accused General Bajwa of hiring Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistani envoy in Washington, for lobbying against him in the United States.

“Haqqani kept promoting General Bajwa and continued campaigning against me,” he mentioned.

Referring to Bajwa’s ‘set-up’ in the establishment, the PTI chief said that MQM-Pakistan and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) have been tied to PPP under the latest gambit by the influential people.

During his latest interaction with journos, the ousted premier revealed that his relations with Gen Bajwa went sour because he did not want accountability in Pakistan.

He then called for transparent elections in Pakistan for a sustainable government, linking stability in the South Asian country to free and fair elections.

Referring to a recent audio leak allegedly featuring his wife, the PTI chief said Bushra Bibi was a housewife and she used to go to places like mental health care centres for welfare purposes. He added that Bushra was not alike Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of the PML-N patron Nawaz Sharif, who spends millions on cosmetic surgeries.

The outspoken politician slammed new PCB Chairman Najam Sethi, saying he had nothing to do with cricket. Imran Khan said the constitution of the cricket board had to be changed to bring Sethi in.