- Minister says Bajwa supported Imran Khan until retirement.
- Says PTI chief continued doing something or other with facilitation from Gen Faiz and Gen Bajwa.
- Says PTI’s long march was about new army chief’s appointment.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has accused former Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa of facilitating Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan untill November 28, 2022. The minister also denied that General Bajwa was retiring in November.
The minister’s remarks come as a support to the statement made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President Maryam Nawaz who claimed, while addressing a rally on February 2, that her party’s [actual] rule commenced after November 28 as before this date, the PTI chief’s patrons were present.
“It is evident that General Bajwa and General (retd) Faiz Hameed had been facilitating Imran Khan until November 28, 2022, despite the fact that Shehbaz Sharif was prime minister and the cabinet was functional,” he said in Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’ on Friday.
The minister said, “Khan had gone crazy as he had been denied any facilitation which was previously being provided to bring him on to the streets.” Backed by this ‘facilitation’ he wanted to launch a long march and seize islamabad, he said.
The PML-N leader asserted that there were people who loved him as their favourite, so he kept doing something or other until November 26. He asked Khan to explain how his government was formed and who was behind it.
Rana Sanaullah claimed that Imran Khan’s long march was related to the appointment of the upcoming army chief and he attempted to destroy the institution in this connection.
Rana Sanaullah raised questions about the motives behind the Imran Khan-led November 26 long march, which he believed was not just a protest.
The PML-N minister said Imran Khan’s adventures like the one on May 25 failed mainly due to his PML-N government.
It should be mentioned here that on November 28, 2022, former Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa retired from the post. A few days later, former ISI chief Faiz Hameed also retired from his post voluntarily.