Islamabad, Dec 19:Pakistan Prime Minster Imran Khan said on Friday that the verbal attacks of PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his party against the top military leadership has created “a lot of anger” within the army over, but that the COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was tolerating all this for the sake of democracy in the country.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has while addressing the anti-government rallies of the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance, alleged that Chief of Army Staff Gen Bajwa and ISI head Lt General Faiz Hameed orchestrated his ouster in 2017 and rigged the 2018 general elections to “impose the incompetent Imran Khan” upon the nation, Dawn reported.
He said although there was “a lot of anger” within the army ranks, “I know General Bajwa is tolerating all this because he firmly believes in democracy.”
Attacking the opposition Khan said they are today accusing him of being a “puppet”, saying it wanted to talk to the establishment. “This means they’re putting pressure on the army to remove a democratically elected government, adding that they were also pressurising the army to remove Gen Bajwa and the ISI chief if they did not remove him from office.
He further said the establishment had helped Nawaz Sharif in the 2013 elections but their ties were strained because the establishment did not support him in 2018.
The prime minister dismissed the PDM’s demand that he quit by January 31, saying the opposition did not have the public on its side.
About the PDM’s announcement of staging a long march to the capital if the PTI government refuses to resign, Imran said if the alliance did indeed go ahead with such a march, it would “make it clear whether I have to resign or they have to”. (UNI)
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