PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry has claimed that some army generals, including ex-COAS Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa were behind the ouster of the former ruling party last year.
The former information minister made the claim during his interview with the BBC on Friday (Jan 6).
Fawad told host Stephen Sackur that the PTI regime was toppled after a conspiracy against it. He made the remarks when he was asked whether the party came to power after receiving help from the army.
Denying the notion, the ex-federal minister said that the PTI took the reins after a 22-year struggle.
“Some army generals were involved, there is no doubt about it,” he said. “The establishment actually played an active role in Imran Khan’s ouster.”
“In fact, the last army chief was actively involved in sending our government home,” Fawad maintained.
According to him, the PTI did not seek the military’s help; all it asked for was their neutrality.
He went on to add that the establishment was also involved in controlling PTI’s allies during the party’s rule.
The PTI stalwart said “current [military] leadership has just assumed office” and hoped “there will be a change in the policy”.
Dismissing the notion that the party was against the army, he said, “In Pakistan, unelected institutions like the judiciary and the military exercised their powers beyond Constitution, and that’s known to everyone.”
A day earlier (Jan 6), PTI chairman Imran Khan cast doubts on establishment’s ‘neutrality’ with regard to the forthcoming vote of confidence in Punjab Assembly.
While talking to journalists, the ex-premier had accused establishment of making attempts to bring the PPP into power in the province.
“The establishment is involved in political engineering [in Punjab], Imran was quoted as saying during the informal talk.
He had also claimed that the PTI members were being contacted. “Three people have confirmed being contacted.”
Imran had reiterated that former COAS didn’t want accountability of the former rulers and was unsure about eradicating corruption.
“One man thought of Shehbaz Sharif as some sort of a genius; see what that has done to the country.”
