PTI chairman Imran Khan has been 'advised' from his like-minded faction in the army to target COAS Gen Asim Munir, after his efforts to pressure him for a meeting failed, according to journalist Asad Ali Toor.
To substantiate his point, Toor said Imran had been trying to have a meeting arranged with COAS, but the efforts remained fruitless.
In a podcast on Saturday, the journalist said that the former premier tried to meet Gen Asim via President Arif Alvi, but to no avail. "Imran has a reputation of persuading others into submission once he is able to meet them."
"When there was no hope from any side, his faction in the military advised him to go after the COAS. He was told that Gen Asim would not want to be named in public and so he may submit to him and accept his demands."
Those giving this advice cited the example of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif targeting Bajwa, which they said forced the former COAS to 'surrender' to the ex-premier, Toor maintained.
A day earlier, the PTI chief blamed Gen Asim for his court arrests and the army being targeted as a result, saying 'one man' is behind it.
Read this too: Imran Khan Distances Himself From May 9 Violent Protests
He made the remarks from inside the courtroom, as he spoke to a journalist representing a foreign news agency.
“It is not the security agencies, it is one man, the army chief,” he said when the journalist referred to one of his previous statements.
He went on to add that “there is no democracy in the army and the army is getting maligned by what is happening right now.”
“Sadly, the events that happened when I was inside; I only found out [about it] afterwards. Army is getting maligned because of one man,” Imran said.
In a more recent development, today, in a statement apparently directed at military, Imran said, "No one can eliminate a political party by force and [by] putting them in jail."
He added, "You won't listen to me but my suggestion for you is to come out of small, closed rooms and keep a big circle and see how can you save the country from destruction."
To substantiate his point, Toor said Imran had been trying to have a meeting arranged with COAS, but the efforts remained fruitless.
In a podcast on Saturday, the journalist said that the former premier tried to meet Gen Asim via President Arif Alvi, but to no avail. "Imran has a reputation of persuading others into submission once he is able to meet them."
"When there was no hope from any side, his faction in the military advised him to go after the COAS. He was told that Gen Asim would not want to be named in public and so he may submit to him and accept his demands."
Those giving this advice cited the example of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif targeting Bajwa, which they said forced the former COAS to 'surrender' to the ex-premier, Toor maintained.
A day earlier, the PTI chief blamed Gen Asim for his court arrests and the army being targeted as a result, saying 'one man' is behind it.
Read this too: Imran Khan Distances Himself From May 9 Violent Protests
He made the remarks from inside the courtroom, as he spoke to a journalist representing a foreign news agency.
“It is not the security agencies, it is one man, the army chief,” he said when the journalist referred to one of his previous statements.
He went on to add that “there is no democracy in the army and the army is getting maligned by what is happening right now.”
“Sadly, the events that happened when I was inside; I only found out [about it] afterwards. Army is getting maligned because of one man,” Imran said.
In a more recent development, today, in a statement apparently directed at military, Imran said, "No one can eliminate a political party by force and [by] putting them in jail."
He added, "You won't listen to me but my suggestion for you is to come out of small, closed rooms and keep a big circle and see how can you save the country from destruction."