— Former PM accuses ‘sell-out’ Bajwa of betraying people of Kashmir
LAHORE: Former prime minister Imran Khan said the government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition was employing negotiations with his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party as a ploy to defer elections.
In an interview for ARY News TV on Sunday, Khan revealed his party had not yet been approached by the government for dialogue, suggesting a lack of genuine interest in reaching a resolution.
The Supreme Court, which recently heard a case regarding the simultaneous holding of provincial and national parliament elections, had given all major political parties a week to agree on a date.
However, the ruling coalition refused to comply with the court’s order, citing their reluctance to engage in talks under the court’s watch. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazl ur-Rehman had dubbed the talks between PDM and PTI, as directed by the court, as “talks at gunpoint.”
The two are currently in a deadlock over elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the former insisting on holding provincial legislature polls while the government demands simultaneous elections nationwide.
During the interview, Khan told anchorperson Maria Memon that the deputy chairman of the party, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, had been given the mandate to negotiate with the government.
Khan also asserted his party’s determination to hold elections in Punjab, citing the April 4 order of the Supreme Court directing the government to hold polls in the province on May 14.
He said that talks could only be held if the opposition had a proposal for joint elections. He called for the dissolution of their governments in May with a court-endorsed proposal on joint and immediate polls.
Khan outlined the PTI’s conditions for negotiations, including the removal of current caretaker setups, which he deemed unconstitutional. He criticised the caretaker government in Punjab for its “atrocities” towards his supporters, referencing the police operation at his residence in Lahore.
He also claimed that the setup was fully aiding PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz.
If the PTI were to come to power again, Khan said that his focus would be on establishing the rule of law and rebuilding Pakistan. He condemned the PDM crackdown on his supporters, such as the death of supporter Ali Bilal alias Zill-i-Shah, which he said was “unforgivable.”
Khan also accused former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa of being a liar with no ideology who had planned his ouster for a year. He alleged that Bajwa had been lobbying with the United States to endorse his extension and wanted good relations with India, regardless of the fate of the people of occupied Kashmir.
He further said he was given briefings and presentations on the corruption of the Sharif family by the previous intelligence heads. Despite having more information than members of the public, Bajwa was willing to give the Sharif family a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), a clean chit.
Khan questioned how one could give NRO to thieves and sell out Kashmir without any sense of morality or ideology.
The former premier also accused Bajwa of saving Shehbaz Sharif, now prime minister, who was supposed to be convicted, and bringing him to the top. Khan contended that Bajwa’s actions showed he had no ideology.