ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan said on Sunday the government was trying to delay fresh elections in the country since it wanted to appoint an army chief of its choice in November to save its top leaders from corruption cases.
Khan, who was ousted from power in a no-confidence vote in April after losing his parliamentary majority, has been demanding early elections in rallies held in different parts of the country.
He has also accused his rivals of destroying the national economy by siphoning off public money.
Addressing a rally in Faisalabad, Khan said the top leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – the two main coalition partners in the incumbent government – were hoping to appoint their “favorite” army chief in the coming days.
“They want to bring their own army chief since they have stolen money,” he said. “They are afraid that a strong and patriotic army chief will ask them [about their ill-gotten wealth]. That’s the fear that makes them want to appoint their own army chief.”
He said it was important to appoint the top army commander “on merit.”
Pakistan’s current army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa is scheduled to retire at the end of November. He was appointed in 2016 and secured an additional term of three years in 2019.
Khan told people the current administration of the country was also afraid to hold elections since its leaders feared they would be politically “wiped out.”
Reacting to his speech, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described it as “despicable,” saying the ex-premier’s agenda was to undermine the country.
He added in a Twitter post that Khan was “indulging in direct mud-slinging & poisonous allegations against Armed Forces & its leadership.”
