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Dawn.com
October 27, 2022
PTI chairman Imran Khan in an interview on 94 News on Thursday. — DawnNewsTV
PTI chairman Imran Khan on Thursday raised questions on the unprecedented press conference held by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Lt Gen Babar Iftikhar earlier today, saying that if institutions were apolitical what was the purpose of holding a “political presser”.
In an interview with journalist Amir Mateen aired on
92 News, the former premier said that today’s press conference was “unprecedented” and “never heard of”.
“Either there should be some issue that concerns them, like security, but they held a political press conference so I don’t understand this. Could the defence or interior minister or prime minister not have done this? What was their [the institutions’] job in holding the press conference?”
The PTI chief then went on to say that if he started giving answers “it will cause a lot of damage to the country”.
“Ever since I was removed from the government, I tried the best to prevent any harm to the country and army from my side. I know that if I say anything about the establishment it will impact the army.
“But when they do a press conference like this […] and if I start responding […] it will directly go on our army and I don’t want to hurt them in any way. This is why I always try that my criticism is constructive and beneficial,” Imran said.
He continued that he had been criticising “dirty harry” — who according to him has been recently posted in Islamabad — for the torture inflicted on Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill.
“Our effort are to criticise them. These actions that you’re doing, who is hurting? The country is being hurt, and what is happening because of these acts?”
Talking about “backdoor talks”, Imran said that before the no-confidence vote, he was aware of the “conspiracy” being hatched to toppled his government.
“I very publicly said again and again that I had told Gen Bajwa that if at this time this conspiracy succeeds it will have a direct impact and loss on economy.
“I warned and said that there were talks of an extension here. I told him that if they’re offering you [an extension], then we can do the same,” Imran said.
“To say that I was making deals in closed rooms […] what would I achieve from a deal? I said do this for Pakistan. But they didn’t stop the conspiracy and look what happened.”
Elaborating on the “deal”, Imran said that the meeting took pace at the President House. “And in it, one thing was said […] what I have said publicly several times […] that except for elections there is no other way.”
Talking about the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif, Imran said that everyone knew “attempts were made to silence him”.
“Look at his programme, then who was in danger because of him […] look at his tweets. This is not hidden. Why did the public come out like this for his funeral? People knew him and his truth.
“Arshad Sharif’s truth will never be hidden. He sent a letter to the Islamabad High Court and President Arif Alvi saying that his life is in danger. He said the same to me and I advised him to leave country. But he was so brave he didn’t want to go,” the PTI chief added.
On PTI leader Faisal Vawda’s press conference yesterday, Imran said it he had seen many close people in his life change and show a different side during testing times.
“I was very saddened by what he did and I was not expecting it. This was done on request. I know on whose request this was done — dirty harry’s request.”
In a surprise media talk on Wednesday night, Vawda had
alleged that blood would be shed and bodies would fall during the PTI long march — slated to commence from Lahore on Friday, October 28.
During the interview today, Imran alleged that “dirty harry” was very close to Vawda and he had “no doubt” that “all this drama about bloodshed [in the long march]” was done on the shadowy figure’s request.
No unconstitutional demands made in backdoor talks: Umar
Earlier in the day, PTI leader Asad Umar had said that his party chief never made any unconstitutional demands in “back door talks”.
In a media talk flanked by fellow party leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari and Hammad Azhar, Umar said that the matters discussed behind closed doors were no “secret”.
PTI leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry hold a press conference in Lahore. — DawnNewsTV
“Imran Khan has discussed them in rallies and press conferences. The demands have been in front of the public since forever.”
Umar passed these comments in an apparent response to Lt Gen Anjum. In the press conference earlier today, the DG ISI — seemingly talking about Imran — had said that while citizens had the right to their opinion, why did “you praise him [the army chief] so much in the past if he was a traitor?”
“If you see him as a traitor, then why do you meet him through the back door? […] Don’t do this where you meet quietly at night through the back door and express your unconstitutional wishes but call [the army chief] a traitor in broad daylight. That’s a big contradiction between your words and your actions,” he had said.
Lt Gen Anjum also made the revelation that in March, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa was given a “lucrative offer” for an extension in his tenure. “It was made in front of me. He rejected it because he wanted the institution to move forward from a controversial role to a constitutional role.”
