ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s long-running political confrontation between former Prime Minister Imran Khan and ex-army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been thrust back into the spotlight after former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry made striking claim about the appointment of army chief.
Chaudhry, who parted ways with PTI amid crackdown, says Imran Khan had no intention of appointing Lt Gen Faiz Hameed as army chief, challenging one of the most persistent narratives surrounding the deterioration of relations between the PTI government and the military establishment.
عمران خان نے فیض حمید کو آرمی چیف نہیں لگانا تھا، جنرل باجوہ اپنی اگلی ایکسٹنشن ن لیگ سے لینا چاہتے تھے انہوں نے اپنا ایک اندازہ لگایا اور وہ وڑ گئے،باجوہ کے سسر کو سیاسی طور پر زیادہ باشعور سمجھا جاتا تھا
باجوہ ایکسٹنشن بھی لینا چاہتے تھے اور مقبول بھی رہنا چاہتے تھے
فواد چوہدری pic.twitter.com/BdedMv0M11— Waqar khan (@Waqarkhan) August 14, 2026
He said there was no major dispute between the PTI government and the military leadership at the time, and further claimed that Gen Bajwa was instead looking toward the PML-N for support for another extension.
The allegation could add a new dimension to the debate over what actually triggered the eventual breakdown between Khan and the military establishment.
The relationship between Imran Khan and the military establishment changed before his government was removed through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
After his ouster, Khan repeatedly blamed Gen Bajwa for the political developments that brought his government down. His criticism of the former army chief became increasingly direct as relations between PTI and the establishment deteriorated. But Khan’s narrative regarding the role of the United States also evolved.
In interview with foreign publication, Khan appeared to move away from his earlier claim that Washington had directly planned his removal. He argued instead that, based on evidence available to him, Gen Bajwa conveyed to American officials that Khan was anti-American.
Khan’s argument was effectively that the alleged pressure did not originate in Washington but was instead generated from within Pakistan and communicated abroad.
PTI chief subsequently portrayed Gen Bajwa as extraordinarily powerful figure and accused him of having a major influence over Pakistan’s political affairs.
Gen Faiz had become key figure in political discourse, while Gen Bajwa completed his tenure and retired in November 2022. The subsequent confrontation between Khan and the former military leadership became one of the defining political battles in Pakistan.
Last year, former ISI chief Faiz Hameed got 14 years of rigorous imprisonment by military court after Field General Court-Martial (FGCM) that began after his arrest in August 2024.
Imran Khan says Gen Bajwa hired Hussain Haqqani to lobby against him in US
