Imran Khan, former prime minister and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has stated that the new military leadership has come to the realization that the experiment of regime change has failed.
During an interview with Voice of America, he noted that the elected government must have both responsibility and authority, as a country’s system fails if this balance is not maintained.
Khan emphasized that the elected government, which is mandated through the people’s vote, must also have the authority to match its responsibility.
He added that if the authority lies with the army chief and the responsibility lies with the prime minister, the system will not work effectively.
Regarding his relationship with the military as the prime minister, Khan stated that the policies of the military in Pakistan are dependent on the personality of the army chief.
He noted that the positive side of his relationship with the former army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, was the organized strength of the Pakistan Army that helped his government.
This relationship, he noted, was evident in Pakistan’s successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, he also stated that a problem arose when General Bajwa favored some of the biggest crooks in the country and wanted his government to work with the corrupt leaders, granting them immunity from their corruption cases.
Khan also claimed that General Bajwa had close ties with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and that they conspired, leading to the regime change.
He added that the country is facing the worst political and economic crisis in its history, and its economy has gone into a tailspin.
He expressed his views on his demand for general elections, noting that it is no longer possible to have free and fair elections as the credibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been destroyed.
He cited the recent local government election in Sindh, which was rejected by all political parties