‘Gen Bajwa showed path to support PTI’: Pervaiz Elahi echoes Moonis’ claim

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi has echoed his son Moonis Elahi’s statement that former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had asked PML-Q to support Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) during no-confidence motion against former premier Imran Khan, ARY News reported on Sunday.

In an interview with a private news channel, Punjab CM claimed that former COAS Qamar Bajwa told him to support Imran after he shared his reservations about joining Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance as he “did not trust Sharif family”.

Pervaiz Elahi pointed out that he had received offers from both the PTI camp and the then-opposition when no-confidence motion was tabled against former premier Imran Khan. “God changed our path in the last moments and sent Gen Bajwa to show us the way,” he added.

“When I expressed my concerns about the Sharifs then Bajwa sahab asked me to proceed carefully and said the path going towards Imran is better for you and your friends,’” the chief minister added.

Pervaiz Elahi further said, “He knew that the Sharif family would not let me to continue as chief minister as they have betrayed me in the past,” maintaining that his son Moonis had also suggested to side with the PTI.

In response to a question, the Punjab CM reaffirmed his commitment to dissolve assembly on Imran Khan’s call. “I will always support the PTI Chairman and will dissolve assembly without any delay,” he said.

Pervaiz Elahi’s statement comes after his son and PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi said that General (retd) Bajwa had advised them to back PTI. Speaking to a private news channel, Moonis Elahi said former COAS Gen Qamar Bajwa cannot be termed a traitor.

He had claimed that they were told by the former chief of the army staff General (retired) Qamar Javed to stand firmly united with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf during the no-confidence motion. After this, I asked my father Pervaiz Elahi to stand with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Moonis Elahi added.

Had he [Qamar Bajwa] been against PTI at that juncture of the no-confidence motion, he just had to give a signal, and we would have been sitting with them [PDM], Moonis Elahi said.

Giving extension to ex-COAS Bajwa ‘mistake’

A day earlier, former premier and PTI Chairman Imran Khan said his government’s decision to give extension to former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was ‘a mistake’.

While terming the decision a mistake, Imran Khan said that no one should ever get an extension in the army. “When we came into power, our government was facing several problems,” he said, adding that extension to former COAS Bajwa was inevitable.

“I would trust whatever ex-COAS General Bajwa said. I would tell him that both of us are thinking about the country; our only purpose was to save the country,” he said, adding that he didn’t know how he was being lied to and betrayed.

He further said that he received a report from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) about a game being played, adding that his informant from the IB would notify him verbally and not in writing following fears.