Gen Bajwa asked to remove Usman Buzdar as CM Punjab: Imran Khan

LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has alleged former chief of army staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had asked him to remove Usman Buzdar as Punjab chief minister, ARY News reported on Saturday.

In an interview with a private news channel, the former premier claimed that former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa told him to replace Usman Buzdar with Aleem Khan as Punjab chief minister.

“Gen Bajwa’s demand to remove Buzdar was strange,” he said, adding that he told Bajwa that Aleem Khan had a lot of allegations levelled against him, and he couldn’t appoint him as the chief minister.

The former prime minister further said that the incumbent Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi did not want Aleem Khan as the province’s chief minister. “Later, we decided to support Pervaiz Elahi instead of Aleem Khan,” he added.

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He also condemned the dismissal of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s cases, and said: “Nawaz Sharif will not return until his cases are dismissed. If he comes to Punjab, then he will be arrested.

‘Dissolution of assemblies’

In response to a question regarding dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies, Imran Khan said that he was sticking to his decision in December in a bid to force the incumbent government into early elections.

“We will implement our decision to dissolve assemblies. We are holding consultations and preparing our party leaders because negotiations for caretaker set-up will start after the dissolution of assemblies,” the PTI Chairman noted.

Read More: Imran Khan admits extending Gen Bajwa’s tenure was a ‘mistake’

The former premier admitted that Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi was reluctant to dissolve the provincial assembly as the PML-Q leader believed that the provincial government “should continue for some more time”.

However, Khan asserted, CM Pervaiz Elahi also said he will accept whatever decision he will take for assembly. He also rebuffed the rumours that CM Elahi attached a condition that he would only dissolve the provincial assembly if PTI agreed to nominate him for chief minister after next elections.

Imran Khan reiterated that holding early elections were the only solution to avert the “looming default” and stabilise the economy. He added the early polls had become the necessity of the nation and the military.